Home topics news News News Finding Your Inspiration! Julian Smith July 6, 2011 I recently had the pleasure of presenting at the Victorian Telstra Business Awards dinner, and meeting the inspirational faces behind some of the state’s most innovative businesses. They all had passion, energy, drive and determination; all key factors that had contributed to their many successes. But what really stood out to me was another key trait their businesses had in common – many of them begun from personal experience. They had stumbled upon a gap in the market, realized its potential, and acted upon it. And hey presto, a business was born. During the evening, I was chatting to Katrina and Matt Butterworth. They founded their business Easy Weddings , not because they had a lifelong dream to pioneer an online directory, but because they had noticed while planning their own wedding, that there was no ‘one-stop-shop’ to help Australian brides organize their big day. A bit of planning, and plenty of hard work later, they’re now the number one website in their sector, and the recipients of the Victorian MYOB Small Business Award and the Telstra Victorian Business of the Year. They’ve helped brides and grooms plan over 400,000 weddings along the way. A similar situation helped to create BikeExchange.com.au . Founders Jason Wyatt and Sam Salter realized that while bikes were outselling cars in Australia, there wasn’t a dedicated online site for buyers and sellers to come together. Jason says that the idea for BikeExchange.com.au