Ever wanted to completely change your career direction? Or maybe you have a hobby which you would love to turn into an actual business? Well, that’s what happened to Richard Cooper, who founded the artisan knife making business, Dog Boy Knives . What he produces has to be seen to be believed (check out the photos on my website ) – these amazing chef and other knives are handcrafted into practical works of art (with some made of 80 layers of Damascus Steel, which was used in sword making centurie...
Feb 13, 2021•25 min
Dr Sam Costello ; co-founded BiomeBank (it’s a poo bank, used to treat various diseases – it’s not a gross story, it’s actually quite amazing). You will learn about the incredible medical benefits of this treatment, the importance of having a healthy microbiome, and how Dr. Costello came to start his business, BiomeBank . Whether you're a listener who wants to get involved in this research (ie donate!), a person who wants to learn more about the health benefits of a healthy microbiome, or just i...
Nov 15, 2020•38 min
This episode will inspire you to take a step back, reflect on your work or business, and think of innovative ways to disrupt the traditional, perhaps broken, business model you are working in. I interview Mellissa Larkin, Founder and Managing Director of legal firm Peripheral Blue. In this episode, she talks about disrupting the traditional, Partner-centric legal firm model. Her vision is wonderful – focused not on how her firm is going to bill the next 6-minute increment, but by being laser foc...
Oct 26, 2020•38 min
This week on The Self Made Theory, I chat with Kelly Jamieson, co-founder of Edible Blooms! A totally amazing, unique gift business in Australia, the UK & New Zealand. Kelly runs her business from both her office in Adelaide and from her farm, which she has done so for 10 years. While you can imagine how prepared she was for Covid19 having a home office, based on her business model, there are just some things that can’t be done remotely. I also chat with Kelly about other things she has face...
Oct 04, 2020•44 min
Our "Pilot" episode for "Entrepreneurs on eScooters" is the wild, featuring Allison Nikula, founder of CareApp. A very, very different way of telling a great story. You really need to see the video of this interview: www.entrepreneursonescooters.com Allison was inspired to create CareApp through her own personal experience seeing her grandparents access aged care services. CareApp is a powerful communication and engagement platform for aged care providers. It brings providers, residents, carers,...
Sep 19, 2020•29 min
You know those people you meet whose stories are just so fascinating that you just have to hear more? Well, this week on The Self Made Theory, that person is Mark Roe from Fusetec. He’s making body parts Mark has reinvented himself as an entrepreneur multiple times. Originally starting in the printing industry, he sold that business and semi-retired to an island in Fiji…only to discover that reliable deliveries to the island he was on was non-existent…so, like all good entrepreneurs would, he st...
Sep 12, 2020•53 min
Oh my goodness - you are going to love this episode! I met up recently with Eloise Hall and Isobel Marshall, co-founders of TABOO Sanitary Products. And BEFORE you decide that this isn’t a topic of interest for you, especially you fellas out there, you HAVE to listen to this. Why? This episode is all about business models, social impact, making a difference, overcoming hurdles, the process from business idea through to business launch and ultimately, it’s about changing the World. Isobel and Elo...
Aug 18, 2020•49 min•Ep. 106
Serial entrepreneurs are so much fun – and the honesty and openness of my next guests is refreshing……and enlightening. Leah Itsines and Mitch Caon co-founded BARE - the Balanced And Realistic Eating Guide – a “realistic’ way of looking at food. They have a big following, including over half a million Instagram followers. But the BARE Guide isn’t the only thing they’ve launched – they have had a lot, and I mean a lot of business ideas, and many failures along the way….and it’s this piece that is ...
Jul 02, 2020•36 min•Ep. 105
How do you move from being an aerospace engineer working on missile systems to running your own video game development company? That’s part of the story of Dineth Abeynayake, founder of Foxie Games. Foxie produces mobile-based games that sell across the world, some which lead their category. It’s a pretty fascinating story, and we cover a lot in this interview on how to start and build a company. If you’ve got a side hack going on, this is well worth the listen. Some key themes that come out in ...
Jun 24, 2020•36 min•Ep. 104
I’ve been a little tardy on getting you some new episodes (of course, I could blame Covid, the editing team, lots of consulting work etc etc…), but mostly I’ve been diverting my attention to some new business ideas I’m working on. So, in this episode, I’ve done a role reversal – this is an interview, not that I conducted, but that was conducted on me! Landell, from PlaceOS, asked me last year if I would come on her podcast…and this is the result. We talk tech, changing business practices, relati...
Jun 21, 2020•30 min•Ep. 103
What do you do when you discover you’re getting an Apple Watch as a present for Christmas? For most of us, we’d probably brag about it on social media but for our 17-year-old genius Will Bishop, he decided to do what the likes of Twitter, Reddit and Wikipedia hadn’t done – create apps that actually work well for the Apple Watch. Fast forward, he has successfully created 3 apps that are currently being used by Apple Watch users all around the world! In this episode, we speak to him about his jour...
Feb 03, 2020•26 min•Ep. 102
Today our guest is Phil, who runs a great business in Adelaide. If you’re in business, or thinking about going into business, you HAVE to listen to this episode. There is something in here for everyone: -Why staying true to your vision pays off -The importance of doing what you love -The most cost effective thing you can do to differentiate yourself from your competition -Realising there are really tough times that business owners can go through Just a warning, there is a part of our conversatio...
Dec 30, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 19
I love the intersection of technology and healthcare – the potential impacts on a person’s life if you do it right are amazing. And that’s where my next guest comes in. Michelle Perugini, Co-Founder of Presagen and Life Whisperer, who shares her story of creating a platform that helps people with one of the most challenging and emotional medical procedures – IVF. IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) is used to overcome a range of fertility issues that many couples experience. Basically, eggs are taken f...
Nov 20, 2019•31 min•Ep. 101
An interesting, “under-the-radar” story in this episode. I first met Milorad Zecevic when I presented at the CEO Institute a few months ago. We got talking about Energy Exemplar (where he’s the VP of Sales and a shareholder) about their extraordinary success and growth. They’ve been in business 20 years and they’ve enjoyed consistent year on year growth of around 30%. What do they do? They’re a software company, providing the global leading Economic Modeling and Market Simulation Software for th...
Oct 31, 2019•33 min•Ep. 100
A great interview with husband and wife duo, Mel and Dean Flintoft. In 2007, they founded Australia Fashion Labels, a business that now has 5 fashion labels sold throughout the world, both online and through 1700 stockists in 26 countries. As you can imagine, the fashion world has changed dramatically since 2007. In our conversation, we discuss: Starting a business in the Global Financial Crisis with no money Disrupting an industry that was doing seasonal collections (4 per year), by producing 1...
Sep 18, 2019•31 min•Ep. 99
Kelly Carpenter is the co-founder of two companies – Lookinglass and Culture Team . I found both of her businesses fascinating (& completely different). Lookinglass is some very smart tech (both Machine Learning, computer vision and a physical Smart Mirror to detect the symptoms and progression of degenerative health conditions like Parkinson’s . The early detection of Parkinson’s disease or the complication from medication after surgery can greatly improve his prognosis. I’m sure many of yo...
Jul 14, 2019•30 min•Ep. 98
You’ve probably read in some articles about how Artificial Intelligence is going to replace your job. I’ve been reading a lot about the Future of Jobs lately, so I invited Dr Eva Balan-Vnuk, a senior business & thought leader onto the podcast to discuss this really important topic. Dr Eva holds the role of Executive Director of ICT and Digital Government for South Australia and has held other senior roles such as State Director for Microsoft. We cover many interesting and relevant topics for...
May 26, 2019•42 min•Ep. 96
Before I contacted my next guest, Toby Strong, to request an interview, I was (and still am) a heavy user of his Urban Brew coffee pod products. I love the product, their subscription-based service and their unique value-adds (and no, this isn’t a paid product endorsement). Toby runs a business where he is both a manufacturer of his own product, as well as a manufacturer for others, a wholesaler and an online retailer. We uncover a lot in our conversation, including: 1. Are you BRAVE enough to h...
May 11, 2019•32 min•Ep. 95
A double guest interview this week. Brendon and Connor, co-founders of Nuago , describe themselves as a “born in cloud” company providing IT services to their customers. They’re obviously doing something right, ranking No.7 in the Australian CRN Fast 50 award. Lots of gold in here if you’re building a business. We discuss: 1. Different isn’t always Better, but BETTER IS ALWAYS different 2. If you want to be a good IT provider, stop talking about WIDGETS and start getting into your customers’ WHY...
Apr 26, 2019•45 min•Ep. 94
In this episode, I interview Jim Whalley, who has been appointed as the Chief Entrepreneur for South Australia. Now, while it might seem strange to interview a Govt employee for a show that’s all about Founders, Entrepreneurs and Great Business people, Jim just doesn’t fit the mould of what many might consider a typical Govt Employee. 1. He isn’t PAID! It’s a volunteer position 2. He has a track record in building a successful business 3. If you look at his photos on my website, and his backgrou...
Apr 14, 2019•30 min•Ep. 93
This is one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve done. I’m not really into super high end fashion and I’ve not really understood it until this interview. I talk to Paul Vasileff, who founded Paolo Sebastian, a Couture Atelier that has collaborated with Disney and dressed the likes of Heidi Klum , Poppy Delevingne , Katy Perry , Kim Kardashian ….you get the picture. His work is stunning. In this interview, Paul and I discuss: If you bring your client’s DREAM TO LIFE, then they will travel from...
Mar 31, 2019•53 min•Ep. 92
Many of you with have heard the terms Big Data, Analytics and all that very boring sounding terminology…..wait! Don’t tune out! If you’ve seen the movie Minority Report, where Tom Cruise is walking past digital signage where the advertisements are tailored just for him, then you’ll get an insight into what this episode is all about. You can look at this episode in a few different ways – from the lens of a “big brother-esque” conspiracy theorist or from the lens of how you can use big data to dri...
Mar 01, 2019•50 min•Ep. 91
In this episode, we talk about how manufacturing is DEAD in Australia……or IS IT? I interview the Managing Director of Advanced Focus, Mark Fusco, who tells us that: 1. Manufacturing isn’t really DEAD, it’s just CHANGING, from competing on price to competing on VALUE & DESIGN (isn’t this the same for many industries?) 2. Starting EDUCATION early enough in new technology is critical – especially if you want First Mover Advantage 3. We should stop saying NO to new ideas and instead start asking...
Feb 24, 2019•42 min•Ep. 90
AgTech, Food Security, Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence AI, Machine Learning, Startups, BlockChain, Drones, Sustainability, Wine…this week’s episode covers all of this and more in my interview with Andrew Grant, CEO of Availer. Andrew tells how: 1. Technology is fundamentally going to change the way YOUR FOOD is going to be produced. 2. Are you creating a $MILLION DOLLAR solution to a $100,000 problem? 3. You don’t have to jump into the ABYSS by leaving your Job to create your Start-Up 4....
Feb 02, 2019•38 min•Ep. 87
The numbers are astonishing – 30 million customers, combined wealth of $486m, built in just over 4 years. Phenomenal results. My guest, Tobi, has with his fiancé Kayla, built a global powerhouse business called SWEAT in what you may consider the Fitness industry, but really, it’s a story not dissimilar to Netflix – it’s about innovation, technology, business models and discipline. Tobi shares with us: 1. What to do when you receive 25,000 email complaints within 24 hours of your App release (&am...
Jan 17, 2019•51 min•Ep. 85
Following the recent Aust Space Agency announcement, I interview Lloyd Damp, CEO of Southern Launch, who is fulfilling a childhood dream involving rockets by building a Rocket Launch facility in South Australia. It’s a pretty fascinating story, and we learn through this interview that that: 1/.Sitting around having a DRINK WITH MATES can *launch* some great business ideas (see what I did there?)2/.Maybe it’s time to look back into your CITY’S HISTORY and see what it used to do 40 years ago that ...
Dec 22, 2018•30 min•Ep. 86
Many of you leaders will have engaged recruitment firms in the past to find staff for you – and you probably wouldn’t think there’s too much innovation that can happen in the recruitment industry. Well, co-founder of Harrison McMillan, Jodi Walton, tells how technology, transparency and billing models have contributed to their significant success. Some things we learn from Jodi’s story: 1.You can create your own niche in a traditional industry by CHANGING the business model 2.Customers love TRAN...
Nov 26, 2018•28 min•Ep. 84
Many of you listening to this podcast probably have Solar Panels on your roofs – well, here’s the story of a company who was at the very beginning of the Solar industry, and who has ridden the roller-coaster of this industry over the past 10 years. Jenny, co-founder and CEO, is very candid about the building of her business. Some of the key takeaways from our interview includes: 1.Making sure you understand the potential impacts of GOVERNMENT POLICY on your industry2.The impacts on your business...
Oct 29, 2018•31 min•Ep. 77
There’s something about technology in the Healthcare industry that really resonates with me. But, let’s be honest, no one really likes spending time in hospital. Today my guest today is Ken, founder & CEO of Personify Care. What Personify Care are out to achieve, amongst other things, is to reduce the re-admission rates of patients back into hospital after surgery. And that’s a great thing for the patient, for the hospital, for the clinicians and for our healthcare industry in general. In ou...
Oct 16, 2018•37 min•Ep. 76
Boom-bust-boom-bust-boom!! This interview is about a 3-generation family business that has had to build and rebuild itself 3 times! Simtrack manufacture horse racing start gates and running rails, and ship all over the world. Even if you’re not into horse racing, you HAVE to listen to this episode because the lessons in here about business in general are amazing. We cover The RISKS associated with expanding too far away from your core business How the BANK can be your friend when things are goin...
Oct 01, 2018•34 min•Ep. 72
