Build It. They'll Come.

Adelaide-born and raised Sophie Lovejoy jumped from being a well-paid TV producer into the precarious, fickle world of fashion, when she started out creating and then manufacturing cute boxer shorts to sell in her mum’s homewares store in Norwood, Adelaide. Fast forward a few years and Sophie took the plunge to move herself and her business to Los Angeles. Along the way she had transformed her brand Sant and Abel, into a luxury sleepwear and leisurewear fashion range that caught the eye of celebrities like the Kardashians and TV host Jimmy Fallon, who gave her brand the tick of approval by wearing her PJs, thereby helping catapult Sant and Abel to brand awareness and sales stardom in the biggest, juiciest clothing market in the world, the USA. Hope you enjoy Sophie Lovejoy’s inspiring entrepreneurial story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney-raised and educated Benjamin Plummer transformed himself from a business adviser and analyst into a startup entrepreneur and a guru in Artificial Intelligence. Ben’s San Francisco-based company Invisible Technologies is quietly powering the AI revolution in the epicentre of AI development, the west coast of the United States. Now, Ben did not start Invisible Technologies, but as CEO he built it big and it is transforming how companies are built and run, by helping them utilise cutting-edge AI technology coupled with the very best human know-how. In a nutshell, Ben and his team have been training the AI used by the world’s leading generative AI providers such as Chat GPT, Google and Microsoft. He also helped build a commercial spin off company alongside the inventor of IBM’s Watson. Along the way Ben worked closely with US billionaire and hedge fund investing guru Ray Dalio at Bridgewater Associates. In this episode, Ben shares invaluable insights, experiences and lessons learned about his journey, and the rapidly-changing landscape of AI. Enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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How do you revolutionise medicine, helping develop an entire new field of medical science in this country? Well, back when he was a young doctor Professor Gab Kovacs did just that. By starting small and taking 1 step at a time he helped change the practice of reproductive medicine, by pioneering IVF in this country – “test tube” babies they used to be called - as an option for infertile couples to have children in the late 1970's. Professor Kovacs worked with the greats, lead by Dr Carl Wood and Alan Trounson, those doctors and scientists who researched, tested, achieved breakthroughs and broke down barriers, to change the way infertility was treated and managed. This team was so successful, after years of hard work they built a thriving business that has enabled thousands of Australian women, and many more around the world, to have babies when their bodies' biological doors seemed closed forever.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In late 2023 we brought you an interview with serially successful entrepreneur Mark Woodland, who co-created and built the Kismet platform to provide digital tools to help NDIS participants easily link up with approved providers, reducing fraud and overcharging & improving compliance along the way. Kismet only began life as a business in August 2022, after Mark had kept the idea in his bottom drawer for 13 years. Then in early 2023 Mark raised a whopping $4 million from venture capital veterans AirTree Ventures, Daniel Petre AO and others, an enormous tick of approval for Mark Woodland, a former soldier and proud product of a single mum household. Now the latest news in September 2024, is Kismet completed a successful $32.5 million seed funding round from venture capital investors. Wow. Not bad for just over 2 years in business! Then again, Mark had already built successful childcare business, xplor, to streamline the admin process for parents and childcare operators alike, which he sold in 2020 to US private equity, reportedly making xplor worth $100 million, and putting Mark onto the Financial Review Young Rich List.  Mark's is such a remarkable startup journey, we thought we'd share it with you again. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Babak Moini came to Australia with his family as an 8 year old, from Iran. He studied hard, went to university and became an actuary, earned good money. So far a fairly typical immigrant story. But Babak's journey diverged considerably when he discovered retailing, of all things – his first foray was a small souvenir shop in Cairns -  and he fell in love with the world of business, buying and selling. He dumped his actuarial career and with a co-founder friend, they ended up building a non-invasive beauty treatment empire, in Laser Clinics Australia, with some 80-plus clinics.  What a wild ride it has been. Hope you enjoy Babak Moini.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After coming to Australia with just $600 in her pocket and a dream to see the world, young Mandy Foley fell into waitressing. What she found was a haphazard industry for workers, with little structure or professionalism. So over the past almost 4 decades Mandy set about changing that, building up her Stedmans Hospitality Services business, which she a couple of friends started from scratch in the mid-1980s. Stedmans agency essentially offers outsourced hospitality staff for events, parties, caterers and boardrooms, thereby she says, taking the worry out of hiring casual staff. For the workers she offers them structure, training, professionalism, and a family-type environment. Though she's lived through many ups and downs, which she happily shares in our interview, Mandy has not only survived, she's thrived, and gives back a hell of a lot, to charities and the community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You've probably never heard of GROW Super or GROW Inc. And that's just the way co-founder and CEO Mathew Keeley likes it. But GROW Inc is solving some of the logjam problems in the “back office” administration of our massive Superannuation Funds. GROW Inc instigated a new way for Superannuation fund customers like you and I, to better access and engage with our Super Funds, by creating and building an innovative administration software using blockchain, or Distributed Ledger Technology. GROW Inc claims its platform transforms legacy systems and business models and allows fund managers and their funds to offer more streamlined, real time information to customers about their Super. So how did a 5th generation farm boy, end up revolutionising the way Superannuation Funds interact with clients and members, giving as easy an experience for fund members as Amazon gives their online shoppers? And how the heck did Mat Keeley, with a tiny team of only 36 employees at the time, persuade one of the world's biggest wealth managers, the US giant Vanguard – with something like $10 Trillion in their care – to take a punt on his Super fund “back office” platform GROW Inc?  Well, tune in right now and you'll find out. Enjoy Mathew Keeley's extraordinary journey with GROW Inc.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tasmania born, schooled in Hong Kong, now working in Melbourne, scientist Nick Murphy is on the frontier of IVF reproductive medicine. Nick and his small highly skilled team developed a world-first genetic screening test for IVF embryos capable of detecting several thousand severe genetic diseases and life threatening conditions. And it's done in one single, simple test, via whole genome sequencing of the pre-implantation embryo. It's commercialised by Nick's startup, GenEmbryomics. Dr Murphy will offer this test through existing IVF clinics, at as low a price as possible, and to as many couples going through IVF as need it.While not available commercially yet in Australia, GenEmbryomics is in the process of securing patents for the test in the massive IVF market in the USA, worth some $9billion. There are plans to list the startup on New York's NASDAQ exchange by mid-2024. It's been a wild and fascinating journey for this genetic scientist turned entrepreneur, since the GenEmbryomics business began in 2019. Hope you enjoy Dr Nick Murphy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An immigrant child of Polish Jewish parents, Jack Gance ended up disrupting several entire industries with HIS model of shopkeeping through suburban Australia. The pharmacist turned into an entrepreneur by chance really. After gaining his Pharmacy degree, Jack and his brother Sam started with just 1 pharmacy in the early 1970's, which they slowly built on. Along the journey, Jack Gance totally upended the way traditional pharmacies in Aussie suburbs operate, by essentially making all the other products chemists sell aside from prescriptions, much more enticing and cheaper for shoppers. He also built a distribution business in the process. After 51 years in business Jack Gance, with Sam and co-founder Mario Verrocchi spent the past two-plus decades building their Chemist Warehouse business and brand into a household name, thereby revolutionising not just the pharmacy model, but the entire retailing landscape, by offering discounts on every product in the store. Now with 500 partner/franchise stores and a recently announced deal to merge with Sigma Healthcare, in order to expand the business, we're replaying the interview we did in 2023 where Jack reflects, just a little, on that amazing entrepreneurial journey. And why he can't stop!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Helen Dalley interviews plenty more inspiring Aussie entrepreneurs in new episodes coming up in 2024! Both established superstars and newbie startup founders who have nurtured an idea from scratch, building it from nothing into a sustainable successful business. In each episode Founders reveal deep frustrations, challenges, their doubts and near failures but also how they overcame them, offering up practical insights on how to create and build a fantastic business. Be sure to stay tuned to Build It. They'll Come in the new year, after we take a little break. Thankyou for being great listeners and supporters. See you in January 2024!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not every budding entrepreneur wants to start a new bank.  Banking is risky, highly regulated, and in this country dominated by the big 4 banks that could squash any little minnow that tries to challenge them. But my guest Joseph Healy has been a career banker, in fact a successful senior executive in 2 of those the big traditional banks, and his disillusionment with their modus operandi led him to start his own. After extensive chats with mate David Hornery, over beers at the local on a Friday, the pair decided on a vision for a new bank to service small to medium sized businesses, a neglected sector in their opinion. So they set out to back themselves into building that vision into something successful and sustainable.   Healy and Hornery founded Judo Bank in 2019, in the eye of the Covid storm. But they say that made the bank stronger, and they claim to have delivered what they promised for small to medium-sized businesses. Now a higher interest rate environment produces new challenges for the minnow bank. Despite its shares being marked down,  Judo's lending book is now $9bill (as of June 30, 2023), and it achieved a strong 2023 profit. And Joseph Healy reckons they are building the culture, mind-set and model to ensure Judo grows into a sustainable success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soldier-turned-entrepreneur Mark Woodland reckons he learned some tough lessons in the Army. The most fundamental that he brought with him into the startup world was how to be resilient. This self-confessed university dropout draws on his internal resilience he reckons every day, while scaling up his Kismet healthcare platform. Resilience, coupled with setting in stone the internal culture of your business right from the get-go, and staying humble are foundation stones for Kismet's success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Serially successful entrepreneur Mark Woodland, co-created and built the Kismet platform to provide digital tools to help NDIS participants easily link up with approved providers, hopefully reducing fraud and overcharging & improving compliance along the way. Kismet only began life as a business in August 2022, after Mark had kept the idea in his bottom drawer for 13 years, but in early 2023 it raised a whopping $4million from venture capital veterans AirTree Ventures, Daniel Petre AO and others, an enormous tick of approval for Mark Woodland, a former soldier and proud product of a single mum household.Then again, Mark had already built substantial childcare business, xplor, to streamline the admin process for parents and childcare operators alike, which he sold in 2020 to US private equity, reportedly making xplor worth $100million, and putting Mark onto the Financial Review Young Rich List. Hope you enjoy his remarkable startup journey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's next in Jack Gance's Chemist Warehouse journey, is Optometrist Warehouse, yes indeed, his latest venture to disrupt the Optometry landscape is coming to a suburb near you. And could an IPO still be on the table? Plus, he explains how hocking everything in the early days was crucial to build up his retail and distribution chain, but how being completely debt-free since the early 1990's has its advantages. And he pays tribute to his wife Evelyn, his family and his Jewish faith as the foundation stone in his life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An immigrant child of Polish Jewish parents, Jack Gance ended up disrupting several entire industries with HIS model of shopkeeping. The pharmacist turned into an entrepreneur by chance really. After university he and his brother started with just 1 pharmacy in the early 1970's, which they slowly built on. Along the journey, Jack Gance totally upended the way traditional pharmacies in Aussie suburbs operate, by essentially making all the other products chemists sell aside from prescriptions, more enticing and cheaper for shoppers. He also built a distribution business in the process. Over 51 years in business Jack Gance built up his Chemist Warehouse business and brand into a household name, thereby revolutionising not just the pharmacy model, but the entire retailing landscape. Now with 500 partner/franchise stores and around $8billion turnover a year, Jack reflects, just a little, on that amazing entrepreneurial journey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you sell your small successful travel startup to one of the world's biggest companies, isn't that when the champagne pops and you sit back to revel in your success? Well no, according to serial entrepreneur Zac Altman, that's when you effectively take on 2 full-time jobs. Navigating the transition presents a whole new set of challenges to meld both companies together seamlessly. In Part 2 of our interview Zac explains just what it takes. He also elaborates on how to scale up and why years of hard work iterating a product is the reality is preferable to the dream of the “overnight success”. Zac also believes founders need to protect their employees' well-being and care for their own mental health, to avoid burnout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney-sider Zac Altman's first legit startup was a taxi booking app called Taxi Pro that Zac developed and built in his final year of high school. Before Uber had hit the ground running in Australia.Greater success was to come with his 2nd venture. Still in his teens Zac moved to San Francisco and created and co-founded with 2 new mates the travel startup called LoungeBuddy, which enabled travellers to discover, book, and access over 400 airport lounges around the world, via the LoungeBuddy website or app.After 7 years of slogging it out building up the business, with myriad challenges along the way, the trio built LoungeBuddy to have over 100,000 users every month. In 2019, the young founders sold LoungeBuddy to global giant American Express, reportedly for in excess of $100million. Zac Altman was in his mid-20's. So how do you build not 1, but 2, successful startups, and where to from here for Zac Altman? 1/2See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George Vicino learnt from boyhood the value of family and a strong work ethic. In Part 2, George reveals how these drivers have been key in his entrepreneurial journey with SYPAQ, and why they underpin his ambition to be a world-leading engineering systems integrator. How his love of science and physics helped he and his in-house team of engineers to develop the highly advanced, autonomous, biodegradable cardboard drones that are now a secret weapon in Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion. Find out how his startup used adversity to kickstart growth. Here's Part 2 of George Vicino.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Systems engineer George Vicino started a small advanced engineering consultancy some 30 years ago, with experience and training from his years in the Australian Air Force under his belt. But he always had big ideas for his little company, SYPAQ. Not only has SYPAQ grown to help major Federal Government departments and large corporates integrate complicated technology systems into  customer-friendly, seamless experiences, but the group now manufactures highly advanced engineering products for the Australian Defence Department. The latest is their Corvo fully autonomous aircraft, in the form of a smart drone. Or as George calls it, a clever flying box. But this is not just any ordinary drone, SYPAQ drones are made from cardboard, rubber bands and glue, and they've become a secret and much respected weapon in Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perx Health co-founder and CEO Hugo Rourke reveals the “secret sauce” that drives the success of the Perx smartphone App, to help patients better manage treatment plans for their chronic health conditions like diabetes or heart disease. Also, right now, trying to crack into and expand in the biggest health market in the world, the United States, is surely the Holy Grail for a medical therapeutics App like Perx, but hear about the considerable challenges alongside the opportunities. And then how does a small start-up build trust with outside funders including governments and large corporates to support your vision and help you turn the start-up into a scale-up, and then build it into something substantial and sustainable? Take a listen to Hugo Rourke in Part 2 of our chat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While working as a management consultant at McKinsey's, advising large retailers and others on loyalty programs and customer engagement, Hugo Rourke had the bright idea that if he could use the same tricks and tactics to help those with serious, chronic health conditions who had a greater need to engage and comply with treatments, it could be more beneficial for society. He and a mate Scott Taylor created an app that rewards those who must manage chronic illnesses likes diabetes and heart disease on a daily basis. They reward them by better engaging those patients via an app, offering enticements like movie tickets and gift vouchers if aspects of their treatment plans are carried out. But Perx is not just any old health or wellness app. This entrepreneurial duo worked with the University of Sydney to put it to the test by conducting a randomised trial to see if it improves health outcomes, with published results in the British Medical Journal. To date, they've not only attracted financial backing from venture capital, but they've won over the interest of major health providers and insurers both in Australia and the US. Here's how they're building Perx Health.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Badran's startup digital platform, Spriggy, was the realisation of his dream to help children learn about better managing money and to help parents improve and streamline the pocketmoney routine inside households. But Spriggy's success from the get-go meant that Alex and his co-founder had to deal with myriad challenges… including how not to go broke. In Part 2 of our chat he reveals how to avoid those treacherous pitfalls as a startup entrepreneur and just how he intends to expand and spend the roughly $50 million already raised from investors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Alex Badran was doing his PhD, he turned down a guaranteed job in Silicon Valley with some of the world's most innovative tech giants, to do his own thing back home in Oz. Who does that?  Well,  would-be entrepreneur Alex Badran for one. Sounds crazy, right? But Alex Badran did just that. Alex completed a fellowship in Silicon Valley California that basically involved him helping the likes of Netflix, Facebook, LinkedIn, Airbnb to solve their deep technical problems, meanwhile hanging out with their founders and senior execs scooping up whatever experience and learnings he could – but he turned his back on a guaranteed job over there with one of these global behemoths. Alex Badran always intended to return home to Sydney to realise his startup journey. He and a mate Mario Hasanakos had a dream to build something substantial from scratch. And Alex couldn't let that go, even if it was Facebook calling. The pair founded technology company Spriggy in 2015 in Sydney, a platform they call a financial education tool. In short, it's a pocket-money app for kids, all with parental supervision.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investors Mutual co-founder Anton Tagliaferro reveals his take on the new higher interest rate landscape and what that means for investors, and he reveals the ASX-listed companies & sectors he likes, and those he steers away from. He's also very candid about competition from passive funds and losing some big clients. But he also offers insights into how he survived some of the biggest financial crises of the past 2 decades; and why football in Australia and Malta are a big part of his life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As an émigré from Malta via London 40 years ago, Anton Tagliaferro instantly fell in love with Sydney. He has spent the past 25 years building one of the most respected funds management firms in Australia, starting from scratch with just 1 or 2 employees. But through his shrewd, he would say “common sense”, conservative approach to investing other people's money, Anton Tagliaferro built his Investors Mutual Ltd boutique funds management firm into now controlling over $5Billion in funds he manages and invests for other people in Australian shares. In the meantime cementing his reputation as one of the most astute, successful stock pickers in the country. So what's his “secret sauce” and does he fervently stick to his investing strategy, now matter how volatile the market? Find out, happy listening, 1/2.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Serial entrepreneur & Lyre's Spirit Co co-founder Carl Hartmann offers a Masterclass in the most important pitfalls to AVOID in any startup; what's Return on EFFORT, and how to get it right; and how Lyre's Spirit Co struggled through, but survived Covid lockdowns, shutdowns in hospitality & global supply chain dramas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noosa-based Carl Hartmann started cooking up entrepreneurial business ideas while at university in Queensland. His most recent startup, with his uni mate and co-founder Mark Livings, took shape first in the UK, and then exploded on the scene back home in Australia in mid 2019. The pair created Lyre's Spirit Co, a brand and product line of alcohol-free spirits, like gin, bourbon, even tequila. They claim years of research & tinkering on their “liquids” gave them an edge – quality products that so closely mimic the original spirit but without the alcohol, so no hangover. Now Lyre's Spirits are available in 75 countries around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here comes 2023 when Build It. They'll Come returns! With more amazing Aussie entrepreneurs who start with a humble business idea, an itch that needs scratching, and build that startup idea into an empire, a movement or just a damn good sustainable business. Great guests are in store for you in upcoming episodes, candid interviews offering real insights and tips into how they turned their lightbulb moment into reality, including the considerable ups and downs. So stay tuned! Please subscribe, share with friends or your network, leave us a review. But mostly thank you for listening and coming along on the journey with some inspiring creatives who bet big to back themselves to build great businesses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When founder duo Genevieve Hewson & Lauren Emerson went to their very first Trade Fair to sell Walter.g fabrics to the interiors trade, theirs was just a fledgling company, and they claim they had no idea about the business side – Genevieve admitting she phoned her dad in a panic to ask how to charge wholesale buyers GST!  But the pair quickly learned everything about the business of selling. Within their first year, they took the plunge into the massive, but scary and highly competitive US textiles market. In 2/2, they talk about managing the highs and lows of that scale-up, to ensure the US became integral to expansion of their fabrics empire. From India to NYC, with love! Here's Genevieve Hewson and Lauren Emerson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney-based high school besties Genevieve Hewson and Lauren Emerson say they are two peas in a pod, both cut from the same cloth, which is an apt, because when this pair fell head over heels in love with hand-blocked silks, cottons and linens, hand-printed by local village artisans in India, they followed their passion & created a startup. So obsessed with the look, feel & process of these hand-printed textiles, based on designs by the girls, but using centuries-old Indian craft techniques handed down from one generation of artisan to the next, that when the idea hit Genevieve and Lauren to turn their passion into a commercial business in Australia, this dynamic duo just went for it. No business plan, no market research! After living in Rajasthan India, learning all things hand-blocked fabric making, they started Walter.g Textiles in 2012. These days their fabrics grace such glamour interiors as the global Soho House hotel chain, among others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mixing and experimenting with a home brew from his kitchen bench, brewer Ben Holdstock came up with the Heaps Normal zero-alcohol “recipe”. From there the 4 co-founders turned on its head the traditional way of building a beer company, by forgoing building their own expensive brewery from the get-go. But the real mic drop moment for their little company was being accepted into the Startmate accelerator program, that gave them access to some great mentors, and crucial investment dollars, and set them on a rapid scale-up.  But what gets founder Pete Brennan out of bed each day is the purpose behind why they're doing what they're doing with Heaps Normal. (2/2)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With no less a mission than to change perceptions and actions around drinking alcohol, Heaps Normal founder Pete Brennan & 3 mates created from scratch a beer with zero alcohol but, they reckon, still full of great flavour. In just 2 years the foursome have built an impressive new brand in Heaps Normal, the non-alc beer now sold in over 4,000 bottle shops, restaurants, even supermarkets in Australia & overseas. And while Brennan and the team have been on a wild, scale-up journey with their startup, in the beginning they were almost laughed out of town. 1/2.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After building a sustainable & successful industrial oil waste recycling business servicing Australia's east coast, entrepreneur Dexter Dunworth craved other challenges… and what he chose came with considerable risks! The professional boxing ring! And as it turned out, not just for the exercise or discipline, but he wanted to actually fight far younger boxers on the pro circuit in the US. So how did that leap into the unknown then lead him into “giving-back” to the community back on home soil? Hope you enjoy Dexter Dunworth 2/2.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a standing start back in the late-1970s, young uni-dropout Dexter Dunworth, along with his older brother David, started out with 1 truck collecting used industrial oils from car and truck service centres around Sydney, cold-calling potential customers promising to get rid of their smelly oil waste. It was oil recycling long before recycling became part of our business lexicon.  From that humble beginning, the brothers scaled up to include collection, treatment plants, then recycling it as fuel to other customers in need, and over 4 decades the pair built a major oil waste recycling business throughout Australia's east coast, with customers like Shell, BHP Steel at Port Kembla and most coal-fired power stations in the Hunter Valley. Grabbing every opportunity became Worth Oil's mantra, especially when it came to the key decision whether to sell out or not.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With reproductive rights in the US now so uncertain, serial entrepreneur and campaign builder Wendy McCarthy knows exactly how to try to protect those rights in Australia; why she believes in bringing other women into the tent to succeed; and why she thrives on change. Pt2/2 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One-time teacher turned women's advocate & activist Wendy McCarthy loves to shake cages, but then painstakingly build consensus around an idea that needs action. Over 5 decades she's founded her own mentoring business & built from scratch organisations, movements, even political campaigns that focus on bettering the world for women and their families. She's what you might call a portfolio entrepreneur! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic completely whacked for 6 so many in the food and restaurant industry. Matt Moran's successful fine dining restaurant empire was no exception. In Part 2 of our chat, Matt talks about the terrifying first few days and weeks when Covid hit, in March 2020, when their revenue just stopped. Overnight, stopped. How he and his teams got through that, including several lockdowns, reveals a lot of about this particular entrepreneur, but Matt's story is no doubt replicated in thousands of restaurants, cafes and bars across Australia. Then his empire was dealt another crushing blow by the floods earlier this year that hit SE Qld.  But aside from those challenges & how he dealt with them, Matt Moran also shares his views on the “no meat” meat movement – particularly tricky when you are a producer of meat, like Matt; what's next in post-Covid dining and he reveals a secret recipe for the humble roast chook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uber-celebrity chef and restaurateur Matt Moran takes us into the heart of his food, farming and produce world. After falling instantly in love with cooking, namely French cooking, as a wide-eyed, teen apprentice back in the 80s, he talks of how he then built a restaurant, cookbook and consultancy empire, with the help and support of several great mates and mentors, having opened and operated about 30 restaurants in 35 years. This high-flying Sydney-based entrepreneur now has a massive new plan and project, and it might just surprise you where his happy place is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Covid panicked share markets in early 2020, BetaShares ETFs co-founder Alex Vynokur says a curious thing happened: it was markedly less so in ETF investing. In fact he had managed to grow to $10 billion in Funds under Management (FUM) within BetaShares' first decade, but somewhere in these past 2, pandemic-dominated years their FUM skyrocketed to $20billion. The reason? Well it's a revolution called Millennials and Gen Z'ers, who are flocking to invest in ETFs. Alex Vynokur calls this trend “democratised access to wealth creation for young Australians”, many of whom feel locked out of home ownership. Index fund managers like BetaShares are reaping the benefit. Alex also gives his tips and insights into the emerging trends in ETFs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Alex Vynokur emigrated to Australia from Ukraine as a 16 year old, he was struck by the choice and opportunity offered by his new home, compared with the deprivations growing up in Soviet Ukraine. Even though the teen spoke no English when he arrived here he set about taking full advantage of what was on offer. After completing university, he moved into financial services, working in funds management, including a stint working for Malcolm Turnbull's financial business, in his pre-PM days. But Vynokur wanted to back himself as an entrepreneur, so he jumped off the deep end into the then little-known world of exchange traded funds, betting that local investors would invest their capital in funds that track any number of Indexes, be they the S&P 500 or ASX 200, or much more innovative indexes, to get a return. Vynokur was not a stock picker, nor was he an “active” investor, but he helped disrupt investing traditions in this country by taking on the global big dogs – Vanguard, State Street, BlackRock – to build the BetaShares ETFs empire of now some 65 different funds, managing $23Billion in funds under management. In Part 1 of our chat, Alex reveals just what role mastering the game of chess plays in his business game. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hip, all Australian-made Ultra Violette sunscreen had only been going a short while when the Covid pandemic struck. After initial panic and quickly testing disaster scenarios, Bec and Ava realised they needed to junk them, and step back on the accelerator! Fast-growing online sales in skin and suncare showed these founders they would flourish through Covid if they could stay nimble and lean. The endless Melbourne lockdowns, they say, made them and everyone else resilient. So what happened to their international expansion plans; and how do they make their partnership-- business marriage they call it-- work? Well, take a listen to Part 2 of our chat with dynamic duo who created and founded Ultra Violette Bec Jefferd and Ava Chandler-Matthews. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So why do two young women, both with great jobs in the beauty industry, toss all that certainty & stability away, and put everything on the line (including re-mortgaging the house!) to back themselves into a startup? Particularly when the all Aussie-made sunscreen product they create will have to compete in a super crowded sector, where mass-market products fly off supermarket and chemist shelves. Are they crazy brave? Delusional? What's going on? Well, take a listen to Part 1 of our chat with young entrepreneurs Ava Chandler-Matthews and Bec Jefferd, the creators, founders and owners of Ultra Violette, which now has its sights set firmly on conquering international markets, talk about the why and how they did it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The investing landscape has changed so dramatically in just the past few years, where discussion and action around ESG now dominates all boardroom and company leadership discussions. Ethical Partners Funds Management founders Matt Nacard and Nathan Parkin were ahead of the game on this trend, having built their Ethical Partners Funds Management boutique firm, from scratch 3 and a half years ago, to the point where it now has almost $3.5 Billion in Funds Under Management, precisely because of its laudable twin foundations of achieving above-market returns for their investors, but equally important, making genuine ethical investing decisions.  In Part 2 the dynamic duo discuss the wider investing landscape, how they pick their portfolio, and what sectors and stocks they like supporting at the moment on the ASX. They also reveal what's important when starting a fin services wealth business in an already crowded market. Hope you enjoy! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Ethical Partners' founders Matt Nacard and Nathan Parkin built their funds management business on the laudable twin foundations of achieving above-market returns for their investors, but equally important, making genuine ethical investing decisions – be they around climate change mitigation, modern slavery elimination in supply chains, products that don't harm. After family trips to poor villages in Cambodia awakened their urge to do something practical to alleviate poverty, they raised money to build maternity clinics and local school there. That experience was the germ of their business startup idea. In Part 1, how these two former senior executives at respectively Macquarie Bank and Perpetual, backed themselves and went out on their own.  And from a standing start barely 3 and a half years ago, they've built Ethical Partners into a boutique ethical investment powerhouse, with almost $3.5 Billion now in Funds Under Management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Ben Hurst loved the huge numbers of younger people who increasingly engaged with HotDoc online, at the height of the Covid testing & booking vaccinations. But madly chasing new patients is not his core motivation. Improving the patient experience is! And being a former practicing doctor means Ben Hurst puts patients front and centre of HotDoc's culture and growth. How the online platform more easily allows patients to interact with their doctors, with a few mouse clicks, rather than endless phone calls, is his team's reason to go to work every day. HotDoc has now expanded to 110 full-time employees, with revenue around $19million a year. So what's his secret sauce, and where do chess and Tolstoy fit into his business picture? Well, take a listen to Part 2 of my chat with Dr Ben Hurst. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Working as a young medico in a Melbourne maximum security prison, Dr Ben Hurst realised that perhaps one-on-one healthcare doesn't necessarily help the most people manage their health problems, nor did it give him the creativity he desired. But it wasn't until he was sitting with friends in a bar in New York city, that his lightbulb idea struck him: he heard about a novel business in the US, enabling patients to make online appointments. That simple nugget of an idea that a patient could have access to a doctor's schedule, that Ben Hurst says, just blew up his mind. He became obsessed by the possibilities of the idea, and set about making it happen in Australia. In 2012, he founded HotDoc, an e-health software platform giving patients the ability to book medical appointments with mainly, GP's. 10 years on, his startup HotDoc links patients to almost 20,000 GP's in Australia, all at the click of a few buttons. To date he's raised around $20mill from Venture Capital supporters like AirTree Ventures. In Part 1 of our chat, hear how the COVID pandemic became an extraordinary opportunity, since it massively catapulted HotDoc into the e-health stratosphere. With “hot” patient demand for virus tests, and later vaccinations, the number of appointments booked on HotDoc DOUBLED to 2million per month through 2020.  Pretty good for a guy with not a jot of business experience prior to this medical startup journey! Enjoy Part 1, Dr Ben Hurst. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 decades ago Mark Kelly thought globally, but acted locally, creating then building up his Global Surf Industries by appealing to the mass market of beginner & intermediate surfers rather than world champs; and offering customers certainty of supply and consistently good quality brand surf and paddle boards. GSI flourished to become a major supplier of boards in some 74 countries around the world. Along the way, Mark Kelly became a political activist, without really meaning to, by thinking locally, and acting globally. In 2018 he began a small local grassroots campaign, on a closed Facebook group, with the catchy title “Vote Tony Out”. The “Tony” being former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and the campaign's aim was to vote Tony Abbott out as the federal Member for the seat of Warringah. Gutsy? Yes. Provocative? Certainly. Successful? Yes.  What Kelly ended up building was a community-based political campaign, via savvy use of social media and yes, old-fashioned t-shirt sales, that helped turf Tony Abbott out of the federal seat he'd held for a quarter of a century. Kelly's campaign also boosted the new Independent candidate, now sitting MP, Zali Steggall. In Part 2 of our chat this week, find out how exactly Mark built a successful political campaign, from scratch, and helped usher in the new wave of Independents!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Kelly only learned to surf on a board at the age of 30, but that cemented his lifelong love of the ocean, first sparked when his dad took him scuba diving as a teen. Kelly came to adore surfing and its calming connection with the sea and nature. Having learned the international sales, marketing and distribution ropes working as a senior exec with massive global brands Adidas and Bausch + Lomb, Mark Kelly took the leap to start his own surfboard and stand-up paddle board business. Always with an eye on disrupting the somewhat haphazard cottage industry of supplying surfboards in Australia, he set his sights on 3 essentials to give him an edge – thinking globally; going after the mass market of beginner surfers rather than world champs; and offering retailers certainty of supply and consistently good quality brand boards to offer customers. 2 decades ago, Global Surf Industries was born and has since become a major supplier of boards in some 74 countries around the world. All done from his base in Manly Beach, Sydney. Somewhere along the way, Mark Kelly became a political activist too, without really meaning to. In 2018 he began what started as a meme really, a small local grassroots campaign with the catchy title “Vote Tony Out”. The “Tony” being former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and the campaign's aim was to vote Tony Abbott out as the federal Member for the seat of Warringah. Gutsy? Yes. Provocative? Yes. Successful? Yes. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. In Part 1 of our chat, this week, Mark talks of his business do's and don'ts; how to deal with the often huge challenges of growing internationally; COVID's substantial highs for his business, but the lows too, with subsequent supply chain problems facing all industries. In Part 2 next week, find out how exactly Mark built a successful political campaign, from scratch! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barry Lambert has built not 1, but 3 business empires over the past 4 decades, but he doesn't consider himself an entrepreneur! Starting out as a 16 year old, who began work at the Commonwealth Bank Taree branch, Lambert went on to create and build Count Financial, a grouping of accountants which he expanded into a large franchise operation. After listing Count Financial on the stock exchange in 2000, he sold it to CBA for $373 million just a decade later. His empire no. 2, CountPlus, among other successes, bought back Count Financial for a meagre $2.5million, after the banking Royal Commission severely battered CBA's wealth management credentials. Then a dreadful illness that befell his granddaughter led Barry to create his 3rd empire – an international medicinal cannabis business, called Ecofibre, now listed on the ASX. Lessons from this self-described reluctant entrepreneur, about solving problems for others, and why you don't have to be the best, you just have to be better than your competition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you maintain your momentum, your optimism, your entrepreneurial spirit in the face of devastating bushfires that torched one of the jewels in your business crown, not to mention Covid-enforced lockdowns & border closures' uncertainty? Hayley & James Baillie's biz empire - and their leadership - have been sorely tested in the past 2 years. Bushfire ripped through their Southern Ocean Lodge in windswept Kangaroo Island, leaving little but ashes. Then various Covid border closures meant stop/start trading at their luxury lodges in remote NT & Lord Howe Island. Many might've given up. Not Hayley and James. Find out how they built resilience and hope into their business, and say they're the better for it. Enjoy Part 2 of our chat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.