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.
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.
My Shout is an app that lets friends invite others to drinks, and conversation, via ‘shouts’ or digital vouchers that can be redeemed at the bar. Co-founder Myron Festejo is selling the benefits — greater human traffic, free Facebook publicity — to get more venues to sign on.
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.
Jessie Larcombe says her brand’s appeal relies on the five senses. Certainly, hearing is paramount, because Jesselle PR keeps the Brisbane fashion community in the hum of media buzz.
A seasoned academic and scientist, 28-year-old Lachlan Blackhall is also the linchpin of the startup business community in the ACT. And he has the CV to show for it. His current project, 17Dynamics, is a boutique consultancy firm providing growth and innovation solutions for institutions in government, education, technology, energy and engineering.
Weddings and weight loss: the two industries are a match made in heaven. Grace Bowe’s Bride Body targets that very specific yet popular niche of women who want to walk off the kilograms before walking down the aisle.
Asaf Brukarz decided to take on the real estate industry in a big way, and the industry is begrudgingly coming around. The result, PropConnect, is an online system for handling and tracking property sales in high-density developments.
Sales are not just the key to survival, says Jake Howard; they’re essential for a business to expand and dominate its market. Sales Pipeline, Howard’s Perth-based company, uses leads generation, database building, telemarketing, and other strategies to grow a business’ brand awareness and thus grow the business itself.
For a take on philanthropy that will stand yours on its head, meet Simon Griffiths, social entrepreneur and founder of Good Goods — or, as he is better known in media circles, “that guy with the toilet paper rolls.”
Couches on wheels with DJ decks, speakers and beer. Dude, it’s for real. Mardy Daniel’s Festival Couch is the newest attraction at concerts and outdoor events.
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.
Nathan Murphy loves muesli — really lurrrrrves it. MuesliForMe doesn’t merely sell customised mixes to enthusiasts, it acts as a subscription service, delivering new combos by mail each month.
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.
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.
If Michael York had only Flex Removals to his credit thus far, most entrepreneurs would be impressed enough. The removalist and trucking supply business originated when York was a 19-year-old QUT student. He has since systematised operations, partnered it with — and later sold — a sister business, and rescaled it to home in on the mini-moving industry.
“Reduction before production” is James Stapledon’s sustainability mantra, and as an entrepreneur he’s managed to still be, well, pretty darn productive. Lighting Matters, whose LED lights were among the first of their kind to hit the market, posted half a million in revenues after its first year and has refined its leading online presence since.
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.
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.
What’s more auspicious, and fitting, for a budgeting specialist site than being named Shoe String Startup of the Month? Kixup, says Andrew Frahm, comes with tools for beating debt and building savings. “Kixup is all about where your money is going and what the months ahead have in store for you financially,” he explains.
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