Emma Brown, from Business Chicks Staff It, the business Emma Brown founded at 18, was named 2005 Small Business of the Year, as well as Australia’s favourite recruiter at the SEEK Awards. Selling her shares in the business, Brown took over networking organisation Business Chicks, which continues to go from strength to strength, and shows […]
Graham & Wendy Erhart founders of Withcott Seedlings Taking a backyard operation into a million dollar seedling business, Graham and Wendy Erhart used the country’s water crisis as a catalyst for further innovation and success. Developing new systems and new products, Withcott Seedlings continues to grow. And not without accolades, with Wendy named the 2005 Veuve Clicquot […]
Tim Pethick, founder of nudie juice With a target market of one—himself—Tim Pethick developed a product that wrote the book on developing a niche. Before nudie the juice market was relatively unexciting. However, with Pethick’s mix of savvy and humour, nudie quickly became one of the country’s biggest brands. Pethick is now looking for the next challenge for […]
Fantastic Furniture’s Julian Tertini Julian Tertini founded both Freedom (since sold) and Fantastic Furniture empires. His achievements were recognised as a divisional 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner, and he made the BRW Rich 200 list in 2004, with estimated wealth of $168 million.
Tom Potter from Eagle Boys Jobless at 23, Tom Potter borrowed the money to open his first pizza shop in Albury, NSW. Twenty years later he has expanded the Eagle Boys Dial-A-Pizza franchise to some 180 stores Australia- wide, with a current annual turnover in excess of $110 million.
Tony Kinnane from Runge Mining services company Runge has remained at the forefront of new technologies and software development for 23 years, and now boasts offices in Brisbane, Singleton, Johannesburg, Calgary and Santiago. Tony Kinnane heads up the company, which, last year, was recognised as the smartest in Queensland at the state government’s Smart Awards.
John Ilhan from Crazy John’s John Ilhan’s crazy marketing ideas have paid off; with Crazy John’s now the largest independent phone retailer in Australia with some 120 retail stores across the country. The late Ilhan was valued in the 2006 BRW Rich List at $300 million.
Peter Alexander From humble beginnings selling pyjamas from his mother’s kitchen table, Peter Alexander has spent 20 years developing his self-named brand to grow his mail order, retail, wholesale and online pyjama empire to what it is today.
Jim Penman from Jim’s Group Jim Penman started Jim’s Group in 1982 with a second-hand lawn mower and a trailer. Today, Jim’s Group is one of the largest home service franchises in the world with Jim leading 20 divisions, totalling 2,300 franchisees in three countries.
Wotif’s Graeme Wood Founder of the phenomenally successful wotif.com, Graeme Wood is a creative thinker who took an idea about marketing discount accommodation online and made it work. Within seven years, wotif.com is recognised in more than 32 countries and has gone public recording a 2005–06 net profit of $16.5 million.
