First Act

#nofilter should actually be synonymous with Roxy Jacenko – the PR maven, entrepreneur and influencer is always unabashedly herself. In a world of pretenders, Roxy is the real deal.

From founding one of Australia’s most innovative PR agencies to pioneering the influencer movement with the Ministry of Talent to starring in her own reality TV show to taking the world by storm with her daughter Pixie and their brand Pixie’s Bows. Jacenko is all-in, all the time. This has led to a life full of massive highs and lows. In this episode of First Act, Roxy unpacks it all as she battles mental health and addiction issues, breast cancer and infidelity on her road to being a great Aussie success story.

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Stephen Hunt knows a thing or two about the pub business. He began his journey as a humble dish pig and decades later is the proud owner of the Hunt Hospitality Group, where he employs over 300 people and turns over millions in revenue.

If you live in NSW’s Hunter region no doubt you’ve been in one of his many pubs. But how does someone go from dishwasher to pub mogul? Stephen’s is a story of lifelong lessons learned on the job, backed up by business nous and a strong sense of community. It’s a marriage of passion and purpose and one hell of a business journey.

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A four-time Olympian and three-time entrepreneur, diving sensation Melissa Wu is as busy in the pool as she is out of it.

Juggling training and business is all in a day’s work for Melissa, who was thrust into the spotlight as a teenager when she scored a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games at the ripe old age of 13. The diver then backed it up with a silver medal at the Olympics two years later and has been making a splash off the high board ever since. The founder of three businesses (all with an athletic bent), Melissa Wu is as passionate about business as she is about sport and joins us today to share a little of her journey.

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Tim Duggan has always been a person with his finger firmly on the pulse of the popular zeitgeist. But his ability to see what’s next is not some kind of crystal ball trickery. Rather it’s born from his boundless creativity, his sense of community and an unfaltering vision and belief in himself. He joins us to share the genesis of his entrepreneurial journey and it’s quite the rollercoaster ride.

From journalist to digital publisher to event creator to author and editor at large, Tim’s packed quite a bit into his life to date. Yes, there have been mistakes along the way – like that time he lost $80k in one night when an event he planned didn’t hit its target - but there have been plenty of highs too. Listen in to hear Tim’s First Act…

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Amanda Rose is a force of nature. She’s a serial entrepreneur and a tireless champion of both women in business and her local stomping ground, Western Sydney. Amanda’s a #BossLady with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, and her outspokenness makes her a wonderful advocate for Australia’s female founders. She’s a passionate mentor and campaigner for more women in leadership positions and if she sees an issue she’s happy to tackle it head-on.

Straight-talking and confident, Amanda joins us on First Act to share the lessons she’s learned in resilience, passion and purpose during her journey to become an uncompromising entrepreneur.

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Troy Douglas was just 23 when he and {now} brother-in-law, Drew Bilbe started Nexba – a sugar-free drink brand that has taken Australia by storm.

In this episode of First Act, Troy takes us back to where it all began. From selling drinks out of the back of a van in Bondi to opening a cannery with equipment bought off the internet, Troy and Drew have built up Nexba to be one of Australia’s leading sugar-free brands. Troy explains why passion and purpose go hand-in-hand with Nexba's success; what it’s like to be in business with his best mate and how it feels to be a role model for young queer kids with startup aspirations.

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Jodie Fox was always meant to be a lawyer but the universe had other plans. A chance conversation on a Gold Coast beach led to her abandoning her career to start Shoes of Prey with cofounders Michael Fox and Mike Knapp.

Jodie was the face of the business. The brand’s rapid rise to success saw it gain fame as a startup darling and cemented Jodie’s status as one of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs. Then after almost a decade of riding a wave of success, the brand went pear-shaped and Jodie was faced with the heartbreaking decision of closing the doors on a business she has described as “her baby”.

In this episode of First Act, Jodie takes a look back at her entrepreneurial journey, explains why she left a career in law and marketing behind to go into business for herself, dives into the genesis of Shoes of Prey, explores the startup’s rise and demise and shares the many learnings she’s had along the way. It’s a raw and emotional story and Jodie never holds back on the details - no matter how painful.

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There’s a lot you don’t know about Matty J, arguably Australia’s favourite Bachelor. Well before he was handing out roses, hosting radio shows and podcasts or posting comedy videos to more than 330,000 Instagram followers, Matt 'Matty J' Johnson was that guy having the time of his life working at your local Macca’s. And music festivals. And one “nightmare” job in London that made him question “What am I doing?”

We’ve all been there. But not quite like Matty J. On this episode of First Act, Matty J tells Kochie’s Business Builders editors Cec Busby and Adam Bub what he did before The Bachelor, how he founded his own business Pineapple Productions after, and what he’s learned from fiancée Laura Byrne and their two daughters about creativity and business smarts.

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