I Started a Business

Four years on from selling her business, Mel was presented with an opportunity to purchase her business, BABYink, back for $100k. With some life savings behind her and a keen entrepreneurial spirit, Mel bought it back and set her sights on further expanding BABYink into the wholesale space and becoming Australia’s largest distributor for European baby brands. She did just that. 

In this episode, our founder and director, Harry Kempler sits down with friend and owner of Kollektive, Melinda Farley. They recount Mel’s business journey from running a side hustle at the kitchen bench to a booming business operating out of CLIK Collective. From navigating the challenges of being a working mum and striking the elusive work-life balance to seizing entrepreneurial chances, she offers valuable advice for aspiring business owners. Mel chats about taking chances, the importance of team culture and knowing why you started. 

Instagram: @kollektive.au
Website: kollektive.com.au

Emerging from an inspired moment in a bathtub 16 years ago, Sarah has nurtured her vision into a collection of hair, body, and home products meticulously crafted to add a touch of emotion to your daily rituals.

In this episode we sit down with Sarah Fisher, the brilliant mind behind denu, as she guides us through her journey as a purpose-driven entrepreneur, shedding light on the significance of being Australian-owned and made. She talks about the evolution of her business goals over her impressive 16-year tenure and shares stories that highlight the connection between scent and emotion, resonating with the heart of denu's philosophy.

Instagram: @denu_australia
Website: www.denu.com.au

Hangatu's story begins with a hunger for change, feeling limited in her previous role as a B2B digital marketer and a desire to make her own decisions. When she moved out of the city to raise her family, it was the perfect time to break free from corporate and charter her own path in the world of ecommerce!

In this episode we chat with Hanagtu Wyld, the Founder & Director of The Salty Fox, who made some major changes to her product offering by listening to her customers and catering to their needs. Hangatu candidly addresses the challenges of balancing family life with entrepreneurship and shares her guilt of not being the “perfect boss”. We chat about importance of customer experience and consumer-first policies and Hangatu shares a ton of marketing tips and tricks along the way.

Instagram: @thesaltyfox_official
Website: thesaltyfox.com.au

Maria takes us back to an unforgettable snow trip in 2018, where a conversation with friends sparked a fire within her to revolutionize snow apparel for women. With a heartfelt mission to embrace all body shapes and sizes, Maria embarked on a journey to design inclusive snow gear that would empower and inspire.

In this episode, we chat with Maria Baker, the Founder of Nobody’s Princess, and dive into the origins of her brand and the remarkable power of crowdfunding that brought her vision to life. Maria pulls back the curtain and invites us into the whirlwind world of running your own business, revealing the thrilling highs and challenging lows she has experienced along the way. Make sure to tune in and uncover Maria's invaluable advice on pursuing a project you’re actually passionate about and her rule behind crowdfunding.

Instagram: @nobodysprincessapparel
Website: nobodysprincess.com.au

Fiona made the decision to leave her successful corporate career and embrace her inner artist in 2018 when she was only “living for the weekends”. She wanted to take control of her life and knew she would have regrets later if she didn’t try something she was passionate about.

In this episode, we chat with Fiona Tang, the Founder of Fiona Ariva as she guides us through her creative journey which started with writing quotes on sticky notes in her office cubicle, to creating calligraphy workbooks and designing her own stamp collections! Fiona opens up about the challenges she faced during her transition from the corporate world, where she finds her inspiration and the importance of customer feedback in her design and development process.

Instagram: @fionaariva
Website: https://fionaariva.com/

With a desire to start his own business and take control of his destiny, Daniel set off to the USA and UK for a jam-packed weekend to discover the innovative ideas in these countries. Fired up by inspiration, he wasted no time bringing his vision to life and within a month Daniel said goodbye to his corporate job and began crafting Funday Sweets, a company focusing on delicious low sugar confectionery.

In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Kitay, the Founder of Funday Sweets and chat about the humble beginnings of testing formulas in his kitchen to sealing deals left and right with major businesses like The Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths and Amazon within two years of launching. Tune in to hear how Daniel was able to draw on his past work experience and unwavering dedication to create a confectionary company that filled the gap in the market.

Instagram: @fundaysweets
Website: fundaysweets.com

It all started when two friends who worked in the creative industry found themselves living away from home and missing their family and friends. It was when they were looking for stylish, fun, on-trend gifts to send home, that they discovered the gap in the market. With a shared desire to start a business and a pretty good understanding of ecommerce (or so they thought) Hannah and Verity launched LVLY, a flower and gifting delivery company.

In this episode, we chat to Hannah Spilva, the co-founder of LVLY. Hannah guides us through the LVLY journey - from the kitchen table to a global brand in just 8 years. She chats about the importance of branding, why they collaborate with other Aussie brands and how LVLY used thoughtful marketing strategies to stand out in a crowded industry. Hannah also shares some of the challenges they faced along the way to becoming a multimillion dollar brand.

Instagram: @hello_lvly
Website: https://www.lvly.com.au/

Radical Yes is a brand based around “Flat Shoe Liberation” an idea that gives women permission to come at the world from a truly grounded perspective, a reflection of the fact that women are mobile, active and conscious. Kerryn has lived a life surrounded by fashion, from her dad being in the industry, her mother being a seamstress to eventually meeting her husband by attending brand meetings.

In this episode, we chat with Kerryn - the founder of Radical Yes about her journey to creating shoes for modern women who move. She takes us through the meaning behind the company name, why Radical Yes only create flat shoes and how she maintains such a loyal brand fan base.

Instagram: radicalyes
Website: https://radicalyes.com.au/

What do you do when you notice a gap in the market? You start a business! For Nicole, that meant bringing stylish, elegant Christmas decorations to Australia.

In this episode we talk to Nicole Keheler, the Founder of My Christmas, your year round shop for Christmas decor and design inspo. With 16+ years of experience behind her, Nicole opens up about the pros and cons of running a seasonal business and why she closed her retail store to become solely online. She even reveals a few of her top decorating tips!

Instagram: @mychristmas
Website: https://mychristmas.com.au/

Six years ago, Ruby quit her corporate job with a dream of starting her own business. While travelling Asia just two months later, she was immediately drawn to all the beauty products and started buying and trying everything she could get her hands on! What started as a sheet mask subscription box 6 years ago, has since flourished into Australia’s leading beauty and skincare destination for Korean beauty.

In this episode, we chat with Ruby Wang, the Founder of Nudie Glow. Ruby reveals a big business decision she made during Covid, chats about the obstacles of running her own business and what motivated her to start a second business venture.

Instagram: @nudieglow
Website: https://nudieglow.com/