In this episode, I interview Simon Bugeja, managing director of Lucia’s Group. Lucia’s started as Australia’s first Italian pizza bar founded by Simon’s grandparents ion 1957. Growing up in the family business, Simon found success by expanding into the retail sector and moved into producing and selling goods like pasta sauce, olive oil and pesto. Backed with the advice of his Nonna to “never cheat” on quality, Simon has successfully grown the business to now have over 50 employees and be scaling internationally.

Throughout the episode, Simon emphasises the importance of work ethic - a skill that his family valued the most. He also talks about the enormous impact that hiring the right people has had on the business.

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In this episode, I interview Saxon Wright - co-founder of Huskee and founder of Pablo & Rusty's coffee roasters. Coffee lovers will be familiar with the Pablo and Rusty's brand that Saxon started in 2003 and still owns today. Huskee was born out of an idea to eliminate single-use disposable coffee cups and now employ 30 people and recently merged with packaging company BioPack.

Throughout the episode, Saxon discusses the pros and cons of raising capital and how it has influenced each one of his businesses. He also explains how he has learnt to become a leader and when exactly to delegate tasks instead of doing it yourself.

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In this episode, I interview Jordy Kay, co-founder of Great Wrap. Great Wrap is a material science company that has created Australia’s first compostable and environmentally friendly stretch wrap. Founded in 2019, Jordy and his co-founder Julia have grown the business to now have raised $30 million, employ 20 people, and are currently amidst expanding to the US.

Throughout the episode, Jordy discusses how the funding market for startups has become more difficult over time and that consumer incentive for sustainability has dropped as the cost of living increases. He also discusses the importance of building culture and the lessons he’s learnt as a first time leader while growing the business.

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In this episode, I interview Ben McHarg, co-founder of Life-Space Group. As the managing director of the family-owned business, Ben helped drive the strategic direction of the company to owning their own brands. This strategy ultimately led to the rapid growth that saw the business sold to supplement giant By-Health for $700 million in 2018.

Throughout the episode, Ben speaks about the importance of being ready to fully embrace opportunities when they arise. Ben takes us through the rapid growth of the company and how the business went to a whole new level. He also explains why grit and resilience are the key attributes he looks for in founders when investing in companies.

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In this episode, I interview Simon Beard - co-founder of Culture Kings. Culture Kings is a premium streetwear company founded by Simon and his wife Tah-nee in 2008. Together, they grew the business from a market stall on the Gold Coast to a $600 million valuation and a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

This was a wide ranging and insightful conversation with Simon. He talked about how developments in AI have changed not just retail, but every facet of business. He also talked about how important it is to learn how to sell in business and the power of managing your emotional state to perform at the highest level.

Simon also outlined that the entrepreneurial qualities that successful people have are within everyone and just need to be fostered and unlocked.

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Inventia is a science and technology company focused on building devices that can create advanced cell models that help accelerate drug discovery and biomedical research. Founded in 2013, Julio Ribeiro has grown the company to now have over 70 employees and scale internationally to the US, Europe and many more locations.

Throughout the episode, Julio explains that creative freedom is one of the most important aspects when building products and the techniques he uses to foster it at Inventia. He also explains the unique troubles that scientific firms face such as the need to constantly invent new solutions and devices to make progress in their research and products.

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In this episode, I interview Tim Levy, founder of Qoria. Qoria is a global technology company that is dedicated to keeping children safe in digital environments. Founded in 2014, Tim has grown the company to have over 500 employees and be listed on the ASX where it now has a market cap of around $500 million.

Throughout the episode, Tim talks about the complexity of today’s digital environments and their mission to provide parents and teachers with tools to protect children from harm online. He also discusses the importance of growing company culture in order to be most effective at a global scale.

If you enjoy this episode, feel free to leave a five star review and share with family and friends.

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In this episode, I interview Izhar Basha - founder of EHPLabs.

EHPLabs is a sports nutrition company that develops various supplement products. Founded in 2012, Izhar has grown the company globally with revenue forecast to reach $500 million in 2025.

Izhars’s story is fascinating. Coming from humble beginning as a refugee from Fiji at age 5 he talks in candid detail about the pivotal moments on his journey that changed his and his family’s lives forever. He explains his motivation to succeed and what drives him to create better products and build has business.

If you enjoy the show, feel free to share with family and friends and leave a 5 star review.

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