The 2019 Top 50 Small Business Leaders Report launched last month, celebrating the diversity of the Australian small-business landscape. Of these Top 50 winners, nine small businesses are in QLD.
These winners reflect some of Queensland’s best entrepreneurs, from not-for-profits providing free training for girls rescued from prostitution and the sex trade through to start-ups selling dairy-free ice cream, making it suitable for those with allergies to enjoy a “traditional” ice cream experience.
We hope you’re as inspired by the talent of Queensland’s small business leaders as we are.
The entire Top 50 Report is available for free download here.
Dr James Fielding and Dr Chris Jeffery
Audeara, Qld
As doctors by profession, James Fielding and Chris Jeffery are no strangers to the problems facing those who have difficulty hearing and the limitations of hearing, notably with regards to audio entertainment.
They developed the world’s first full-fidelity headphones with a built-in hearing test that is tailored to each individual. “We wanted to focus on the missing piece in the audio entertainment space, which is how people actually hear,” James explains. “It’s important to us that people can start to understand their hearing health and combining the test information with an enhanced music experience is our way of getting people to pay attention.”
With little to no background in product development and business, the doctors knew they needed help in bringing out their product to the public and on a wider scale.
“Hardware product development is costly and intimidating,” James says. “We utilised crowdfunding to validate and develop our first customer base.”
Audeara officially began in February 2015, with a period of development and testing that led to the product launching in March 2017. It had an immediate impact. “Our first batch of products was shipped to 60 countries simultaneously!” he relates.
The business has grown into a team of 11 – six full-time and five part-time – with digital marketing, social-media management and PR outsourced.
Elena Gosse
Australian Innovative Systems, Qld
AIS has established itself over 25 years as a market leader in the design, production and supply of water-disinfection technology for swimming pools.
Talking of this sustained success that has let to the company winning numerous awards. Founder Elena Gosse says, “Innovation is our secret weapon. We are constantly developing simpler, safer and smarter technologies and are collaborating, rather than competing, with others in our industry.”
The seasonal nature of the Australian swimming pool industry meant that prior to 1995 AIS was only able to sell products throughout the warmer months of the year.
“I decided to implement a global expansion plan,” Elena says, “to export our products to the northern hemisphere.” Without a suitable product for the international market, Elena started to reinvest AIS’s profits into R&D, and through that they have developed such a range of leading products that they now export to more than 55 countries.
Among many highlights, being developer of the world’s first inline fresh-water chlorinator, offering pool owners an ultra-low salinity pool, stands out for Elena.
“Our technology is abolishing traditional water-disinfection methods that require the regular dumping of pool water to correct water chemistry,” Elena explains. “In periods of extreme drought, the ultra-low salinity pool water could be used as a drinking water substitute for a short period of time.”
Selina Tomasich
Hair Aid, Qld
Selina Tomasich founded Hair Aid in 2010 to provide free training in haircutting for people living in critical poverty and girls rescued from prostitution and the sex trade.
“This skill can then be used to start a micro business and create an income to support themselves and their family,” Selina explains.
The not-for-profit organisation also recruits and coordinates volunteer hairdressers to work with community organisations, church groups and the like to put on Hair Aid Community Cuts events, at which they offer free hair cuts for a few hours every six weeks for those in impoverished in communities in Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
“Our organisation grows not by what we receive but what others gain,” Selina says. “With the empowerment of seeing their own worth they can create a better life for themselves, become heroes in their communities and be the positive ripple effect of economic growth that can change their own society.”
Selina has built networks and attracted stakeholders to fund the venture, despite not having any previous inexperience in the hair and beauty industry. She runs the whole operation with just three employees – “a financial wizard, a PR guru and a VA extraordinaire”, as she describes her team.
Helen Tricarico
Healthy On The Inside, Qld
Helen Tricarico is an artisan kombucha producer who provides a modern twist on this age-old beverage, using a range of carefully selected teas and botanical herbs such as white tea, green tea, oolong, ginseng, hibiscus, ginger, lemongrass and yerba mate.
“These unique blends allow me to brew a uniquely different kombucha to what you might find on a supermarket shelf,” explains Helen, who makes use of as much local produce as possible, taking advantage of Bundaberg’s rich agriculture heritage to source locally produced ingredients.
As a solo business owner who set up Healthy On The Inside in July 2016, Helen admits scaling up has been a challenge.
“Moving from home delivery to a regular market to now having my product in wholefood stores and a shared retail space means constant re-engineering and growth of my product, sourcing of finance, grappling with production space, sourcing of ingredients, and gaining new business skills,” Helen says, citing membership of various industry groups and the support of other businesswomen, including the Females In Food community, as great contributors to her success.
Helen has racked up a number of highlights in the short time she’s been operating, among them being able to quit her corporate day job to focus on the business and being a part of the region’s largest food festival.
Mark and Megan Stenning
New Zealand Naturals, Qld
New Zealanders Mark and Megan Stenning fell in love with Airlie Beach when holidaying there, and sensed a business opportunity for an ice cream shop. Having received a positive response to the idea from the New Zealand Naturals head office, they sold their home and invested those proceeds and their savings in setting up a branch of the franchise in Queensland.
The couple’s pride in their product goes beyond its “Kiwi” affinity – the ice cream itself is a non-dairy product with no preservatives or additives added, making it suitable for those whose allergies prevent them enjoying “traditional” ice cream.
The couple have had to overcome some significant challenges. “In our second year in business (2013) Airlie Beach had its main street upgraded and this meant 18 months with fencing directly outside the shop,” Megan explains. Then 2017 saw cyclone Debbie take a huge toll on the town and their business.
Despite these setbacks, the couple and their team – that includes Ritchie the Macaw – still relish being a part of the community and the relationships they build with their customers.
Natalia Michael
No Nasties Kids, QLD
Natalia Michael suffered from eczema, allergies and asthma as a child. When she became a mother herself she didn’t want her little girl to miss out on the fun she had as a child playing with her mum’s makeup, but was worried about toxins and chemicals.
So, Natalia made some makeup for her daughter, who was “over the moon”, and upon being made redundant Natalia launched No Nasties Kids to bring make up and face paints made only from natural and organic-based products to the wider public.
Starting out in May 2016 with just two blenders and a large pyrex in which she made every product by hand, Natalia determined to differentiate her venture through a focus on branding and service.
“The relationship we have with our stockists is second to none,” she says, some feat considering she now has over 300 of them across over 10 countries.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing – “Our manufacturer really let us down at Christmas so we had to go back to in house manufacturing overnight to be able to supply our customers,” Natalia relates (she has since moved to a bigger, more reliable manufacturer), but the hard work has been rewarded through winning the Sunshine Coast Retail Business of the Year and an international Stevie Women in Business Award.
Jodi Wolthers
Parent to Parent, QLD
Jodi Wolthers joined Parent to Parent (P2P) in 2000 as only its second employee, becoming CEO IN 2010 as the organisation – that now has 28 staff – grew.
P2P helps individuals navigate the maze of life transitions for people with a disability through information about services and supports available with funding from the NDIS. “Our advice is independent and individualised,” Jodi says.
P2P’s mantra is challenging the status quo and changing lives. “We work to break down barriers that people with disability experience,” Jodi explains. “We assist people with a disability and their family during major transitions including leaving school and moving out of the family home. We do this by parents for parents as we believe that lived experience plays a big part in creating understanding and shared values.”
Under Jodi’s watch the organisation has undertaken notable projects such as incubating social enterprises that focus on training PWDs and supporting the employment of people with intellectual disability.
The general tightening of budgets – P2P’s money comes from the Queensland State Government – has created a challenging environment but Jodi is determined to ensure that they are still able to break down barriers in the community and support people who require assistance, a commitment that earned P2P the Social Enterprise category at the 2018 Sunshine Coast Business Awards.
Angie Weeks
PTSD Dogs, Qld
PTSD Dogs is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to purchasing shelter dogs, which are then trained as assistance dogs and provided free of charge to our PTSD-afflicted first responders and Australian Defence Force personnel.
“Our mission is to rescue dogs who rescue humans,” explains Angie.
Like all NFPs Angie had to build public trust in the fact that donations received would be spent as advertised – by using her own money early on Angie was able to “put the runs on the board” and provide tangible evidence of the outcomes. Testimony to that is the fact that, having launched only 12 months ago, Angie now has nine volunteers on board and has changed the lives of 11 veterans/first responders, and their families, to date.
When BJ came to PTSD Dogs he was an unwanted, rambunctious and uncontrollable one-year-old Labrador. With guidance and training, however, he has turned around the life of ex-police officer Damo, who had not been able to leave the house in more than two years.
“BJ means I can go to work or the shops, and know that Damo is not alone at home,” says Damo’s wife, Shanny. “BJ relieves so much stress and pressure, not only off Damo but the whole family.”
Jesse Dobie and Adrian Fawcett
Switch Sails, Qld
In 2010 competition sailors Jesse Dobie and Adrian Fawcett decided they weren’t suited to working for others, so left their jobs and made sail-making their full-time gig.
“Professional sailing is weather dependent, “ Jesse explains, “and Mother Nature doesn’t tend to take notice of things like weekends, so it became difficult to find a balance between work and sport. The freedom and flexibility we now have running Switch Sails means we get to do what we love all day, every day, and balance our commitments around the weather.”
Partners in life, their sport and their business, Jesse says they have a “sixth sense” that only comes with being more than business partners. “We trust each other’s gut instincts, especially when it comes to the more important decisions,” Jesse says. “We have a greater understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and can be more understanding and receptive if the other is having a bad day.”
The business is built around quality materials and tailoring products to their customers exact needs, involving them in the design process. “We believe in what we sell and refuse to let anything leave the loft that we wouldn’t be happy to use on our own boats,” says Jesse, who treasures winning a world title with Adrian using sails they built themselves.
Download the full report here: Top 50 Small Business Leaders 2019
