Founded in 2012 by two 24-year-old graduates with zero fashion experience. A business plan sketched above a humble Sydney cafe. The brand that accidentally disrupted the entire menswear industry.

Robin McGowan and James Wakefield knew exactly what they wanted: a great-fitting, custom made-to-measure suit that didn't break the bank. So, they decided to build it themselves. Now, the founders of InStitchu are bridging the gap between old-world tailoring traditions and the modern digital retail landscape—and they are delivering a masterclass on how absolute naivety can be your greatest competitive advantage.

In this episode of This Could Be So Good, Robin and James sit down with Larry and Steve for a refreshing look at the grit, the grind, and the absurd reality of building a custom menswear brand from scratch.

They strip away the polished corporate facade to reveal the brilliantly unconventional reality behind their success. They detail the delusion of thinking they would be "retired by 30," the disastrous first trip to China where they were picked up in a stretch limo but sent home in a beat-up cab, and how they hired a random university student off WeChat who became their lifelong sourcing agent.

They also open up about growing to double-digit showrooms across Australia, surviving the COVID-19 retail apocalypse, and how they landed a massive partnership with the world's largest manufacturer by pitching them over sandwiches on a park bench.

Timestamps:

00:00 - From a tiny cafe to a menswear empire

01:27 - The naive elevator pitch: "We will be retired by 30"

04:55 - The brutal reality of door-to-door suit sales

08:43 - Surviving the COVID-19 retail apocalypse

12:01 - Why having zero fashion experience was their greatest asset

12:22 - The disastrous first factory tour in China

13:26 - Finding their lifelong sourcing agent on a university campus

16:11 - Larry Emdur on why naivety breeds true innovation

20:44 - The intense pressure of taking on investor money

25:17 - How to co-found a business and actually stay friends

29:22 - Pitching the world's biggest manufacturer over park bench sandwiches

33:29 - Why you don't need a business degree to succeed

41:08 - The ultimate lesson: Perseverance and just going for it

Former Macquarie Bank finance guy. Master of the frequent flyer puzzle. The founder who deliberately stops his business from growing.

Steve Hui knows exactly how to unlock the hidden value of the airline industry to fly at the front of the plane. Now, the founder of iFLYflat is cutting through the standard "scale at all costs" startup mentality to deliver a masterclass on building a highly profitable business strictly on your own terms.

In this fascinating episode of This Could Be So Good, Steve sits down with hosts Larry Emdur and Steve Grace for a refreshing look at the "anti-hustle" entrepreneurship model and the true currency of credit card points.

Steve strips away the traditional founder playbook to reveal the brilliantly unconventional reality behind his success. He details how handing out fake flight tickets to women at a bar landed his first major PR break, why raising his prices from $50 to $1,900 actually improved his business, and why he gleefully fires customers who are too hard to deal with. He also opens up about the psychological trap of giving your product away for free, and why deliberately capping his company's growth at 500 customers a year is the ultimate founder flex.

From decoding airline reward systems to living like you’ve already sold your company, this is entrepreneurship like you’ve never heard it before.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The original elevator pitch: "Fly business class for free"

02:17 - The A380 flight that changed his life forever

04:18 - The truth about credit cards and making points work for you

06:45 - The early loophole: Buying a $5,000 First Class ticket

08:03 - The Bar Strategy: How handing out fake tickets launched his PR

10:08 - Why people forgive small businesses for doing wacky marketing

16:42 - The absolute worst part of the job: Customers changing their minds

20:23 - Why increasing his fee from $50 to $1,900 lost him zero clients

23:43 - The power of firing high-maintenance customers

27:56 - How airlines actually make all their money (The Points Pyramid)

31:25 - The "Free" Trap: Why people only value what they pay for

38:46 - The Anti-Scale Strategy: Deliberately limiting growth to 500 customers

42:34 - Final advice: Live your life like you've already sold your business

Refugee who escaped communism with $50 and a suitcase. Founder of a massive cybersecurity empire. Star investor on Shark Tank.

Robert Herjavec knows exactly what it takes to build a business from absolutely nothing. Now, he is cutting through the startup fluff to deliver the brutal truth about what it actually takes to "make it."

In this revealing episode of This Could Be So Good, Robert sits down with hosts Larry and Steve for a masterclass in grounded, ruthless entrepreneurship.

Robert strips away the billionaire glamour to reveal the gritty reality behind his success, detailing how he was forced to sell his absolute dream car in 48 hours just to make payroll. He opens up about the three fatal mistakes that will instantly ruin an investor pitch, why hiring your friends is terrible advice, and why his father's old-school wisdom—"it's good to dream, but it's better to pay your rent"—is the ultimate reality check for modern founders.

From escaping Yugoslavia in the dead of night to dominating the boardroom, this is entrepreneurship like you’ve never heard it before.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The true definition of "making it"

02:55 - Do you need a mission? (Dreaming vs. Paying Bills)

05:42 - Escaping Yugoslavia with $50 and a suitcase

13:54 - Why complexity (like AI) is your best friend

16:10 - The universal founder fear: Running out of money

17:02 - Larry Emdur on taking massive risks at age 60

22:38 - Steve Grace on the absolute myth of corporate job security

28:22 - The hardest thing to build in business today

31:47 - The 3 things that will instantly ruin a Shark Tank pitch

34:33 - Why hiring your friends is a terrible idea

43:25 - Selling his dream car in 48 hours to make payroll

57:13 - Final advice: You cannot build a great business if you are a mess

Medal of the Order of Australia recipient. Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree. UN Young Champion of the Earth Finalist.Natalie Kyriacou has spent her life fighting for the planet's toughest causes. Now, she is proving that saving it doesn't have to be boring.In this hilarious episode of This Could Be So Good, Natalie sits down with hosts Larry and Steve for a conversation that Larry calls "my favorite guest of any podcast so far."Natalie reveals the gritty reality behind her accolades, detailing how she bootstrapped her first organization by selling her car and holding garage sales to raise money. She opens up about the "sperm-collecting helmets" required to save an endangered parrot, the time an orangutan stole her underwear in the jungles of Borneo, and the humiliating true story of how the Australian military lost a war to flightless birds.From high-stakes boardrooms to the bizarre frontlines of conservation, this is environmentalism like you’ve never heard it before.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Who is Natalie Kyriacou?02:13 - What Bonobos teach us about female leadership04:32 - Redefining power: Why aggression fails in nature08:53 - The Garage Sale Phase: Selling her car to fund a dream13:02 - The power of "not caring" in corporate spaces16:42 - Building a global app with zero coding knowledge21:05 - Steve Grace on why startups really fail (it's not money)26:47 - The Orangutan That Stole Her Underwear35:09 - Storytelling as the ultimate asset for change37:36 - The Helmet Story: Saving the Kakapo with rugby gear41:07 - The Great Emu War: How Australia lost to birds48:13 - The Business Case: Why insurance companies force climate action52:45 - Final advice: Why purpose is addictive

TV personality. Special Forces soldier. Royal Marines Commando. Royal Engineer in the British Army. Best-selling author.

Ant Middleton has conquered the world's toughest environments. Now, he is expanding his empire into a new kind of battlefield: Business.

In the first official interview of This Could Be So Good, Ant sits down with hosts Larry Emdur and Steve Grace for a raw, unscripted conversation about the reality of building a brand from scratch.

Ant reveals why he turned down a blank cheque to become the face of a sugary energy drink, choosing instead to build his own hydration company, R3SUP, with a team of scientists. He opens up about the "confidence ego" that serves you in the Special Forces but destroys you in the boardroom, and why doing business with friends is the fastest way to lose them both.

From the battlefield to the balance sheet, this is Ant Middleton like you’ve never heard him before.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:45 - Ant Middleton’s Elevator Pitch for R3SUP

02:50 - The danger of doing business with friends & family

06:40 - Money does funny things to people

09:55 - Military Ego vs. Corporate Ego

11:30 - How Ant’s ego led to bad investments

15:15 - The "Control Freak" Trap: Why you must delegate

19:40 - Why startups really fail (It’s not usually money)

22:00 - Protecting your personal brand & equity

24:45 - Larry Emdur on launching Ben Buckler Whiskey at age 60

29:30 - Why Ant turned down a massive energy drink sponsorship

31:00 - Developing the R3SUP formula with scientists

37:50 - The power of storytelling in sales

40:40 - How Ant’s book "Zero Negativity" changed Larry’s mindset

44:20 - Ant’s "Superpower": Why he doesn't fear failure

49:10 - The meaning behind Ant’s tattoos

52:45 - Ant’s final advice for founders

#ThisCouldBeSoGood #AntMiddleton #SASWhoDaresWins #BusinessPodcast #LarryEmdur #SteveGrace #Entrepreneurship #R3SUP #BenBucklerWhiskey #StartupLife

One’s a media guy turned accidental founder. The other’s a founder who stumbled into media. Together, Steve Grace and Larry Emdur bring a sharp, unscripted, and often hilarious take on what it really means to build a business.

Filmed on site at The Pillars, the show pulls back the curtain on startup life; the wins, the setbacks, and the real cost of building from scratch.

In this series premiere, we set the stage for a massive Season 1. Larry opens up about launching his own whiskey brand, while Steve reveals why a career in startups taught him that storytelling is the only asset that actually matters.

Coming up in Season 1, we’re sitting down with some of the biggest and most interesting names in business:

• Robert Herjavec: The Shark Tank heavyweight on the chaos of the early days.
• Ant Middleton: The SAS Australia chief on resilience and mental toughness.
• Amal Wakim: On disrupting the health industry and scaling a food empire.
• Gavin Rubenstein: Inside the discipline and drive of the Luxe Listings star.
• Natalie Kyriacou: From environmental activism to building a global impact brand.
• Steve Hui: The "iFlyFlat" founder on hacking the system to travel in luxury.
• Anthony Bell: The celebrity accountant and skipper on high-performance leadership.
• Robin McGowan & James Wakefield: The InStitchu founders on reinventing retail from a garage.

#thiscouldbesogood #businesspodcast #startuplife #founderstories #larryemdur #stevegrace #benbucklerwhiskey #thenudgegroup