Channel 10 series follows entrepreneurs who ditched corporate life to chase their passions
From a lawyer who traded courtrooms for antique restoration to an all-female lawn mowing crew, a new Channel 10 series is shining a light on the growing wave of Australians walking away from traditional careers to start their own businesses.
‘Start Me Up’, hosted by presenter and small business owner Liv Phyland, premieres this Saturday at 2pm and follows entrepreneurs who’ve made the leap from employee to business owner – with all the fear, excitement, and Sunday night dreads that come with it.
The two-part series features business owners like Marc Ryan, who turned his struggles with mental health into ‘Fairy Floss & Chaos’, a comedy business that uses humor to tackle serious conversations. There’s also Tarius McArthur, who founded ‘Cherry Pie – American Dessert Pies’, bringing authentic American flavors to Australian palates.
But it’s the personal stories behind the businesses that really hit home. Former lawyer Shasta Stevic, who now runs antique restoration business ‘Montue’, opens up about her corporate burnout.
“I used to spend each Sunday in a state of dread at the thought of returning to the office the next day, and to a job that had drained me of anything that I had left to give,” Stevic tells Phyland in the show.
“The bravery to leave my law profession behind and discover a hidden passion for antique restoration might still have come to nothing, if it hadn’t been for the expert guidance I found in my SEA mentor, and the invaluable support they provided in helping me to discover a new-found excitement for Monday mornings and the opportunity to do something I love for a living.”
Breaking gender barriers
The series also features Lydia Thomson, founder of ‘Mowing Motivation’, an all-female gardening and maintenance crew that’s carving out space in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Thomson’s business focuses on creating safe, empowering outdoor spaces specifically for women – a niche that’s apparently resonating with customers.
These aren’t just feel-good stories, though. The show tackles the practical realities of starting a business, featuring mentors from the government’s Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) program who provide real-world advice on everything from cash flow to avoiding common pitfalls.
Street stories
Beyond the studio interviews, Phyland takes to the streets in segments called ‘Street Talk’, meeting everyday Australians who are still in the dreaming phase – people with business ideas but not yet the confidence or knowledge to make the jump.
“Start Me Up is an amazing opportunity to bring my passions for television and business together, in a show that I truly hope will inspire the next generation of new business owners in Australia to turn ideas into careers,” says Phyland, who brings her own entrepreneurial experience to the hosting role.
The mentors featured aren’t just talking heads either. Ray Jopling is a former accountant who’s spent decades helping small businesses find their footing, while Nik Lazarevski brings banking and finance expertise. Emily Bitkow runs her own product range across Australia, the EU, and UK, and Salome Borg has launched both an e-commerce sports store and a tech startup.
Timing the trend
The show arrives as more Australians are questioning traditional career paths, particularly after the pandemic shifted many people’s priorities. Recent data shows small business registrations have been climbing, with many citing lifestyle factors and the desire for greater control over their work-life balance.
Nicole Grainger-Marsh, CEO of Asuria Australia, which runs the SEA program featured in the show, acknowledges that fear is often the biggest barrier for would-be entrepreneurs.
“The truth is that fear is a completely normal part of starting something new — especially when that ‘something’ is your own business. Instead of seeing fear as a barrier, we want to normalise it and empower people to move through it with the right support by their side,” she says.
“That’s why we’re so thrilled to be working with Liv and Network 10 — to help more Australians see that with guidance, encouragement, and belief in yourself, self-employment isn’t just a dream – it’s the doorway to new life.”
Fresh take on business TV
Director and Executive Producer Josh Capelin says the team wanted to inject new energy into business programming, which has traditionally skewed toward either high-stakes corporate drama or dry educational content.
“When we were approached by Asuria with the goal to spread the word about SEA, we saw an exciting opportunity to breathe fresh life and energy into the business show genre. And with Channel 10 and Liv Phyland as the perfect partners, we’ve done exactly that,” Capelin says.
The format keeps things accessible – 22-minute episodes that mix personal storytelling with practical advice, aimed at viewers who might be considering their own entrepreneurial journey but don’t know where to start.
Whether the show will inspire a new wave of business registrations remains to be seen, but it’s certainly arriving at a time when many Australians are reconsidering what work means to them. For some viewers, it might be the nudge they need to turn those Sunday night business ideas into Monday morning realities.
‘Start Me Up’ premieres Saturday, June 28 at 2pm on Channel 10, with the second episode airing July 5. Both episodes will be available on 10 Play.
To find out more about Start Me Up, visit asuria.com.au/start-me-up.
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