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How I Made It

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Payapps co-founder Geoff Tarrant is better known for his investment banking career than his success as a co-founder.

How this reluctant CEO sold his company for $600m

When Payapps co-founder Geoff Tarrant was selling his software company early last year, he was given some sage advice: ‘it’s not Canva’.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Naomi Simson started RedBalloon in 2001 and has become one of the country’s most recognisable founders.

‘A man is not a plan’: How Naomi Simson created an experiences empire

Naomi Simson founded RedBalloon in 2001 on a shoestring budget. Now she’s looking to expand the company into the international market.

  • Yolanda Redrup

December 2024

Zeller founder Ben Pfisterer says he “learnt the craft of trying to get stuff done” when he tried pioneering contactless payments at NAB.

‘Find what makes you happy’: From zero to $1b in two years

Zeller’s Ben Pfisterer brought Square to Australia after stints at Jetstar, NAB and Visa. He has based his career on one piece of advice – from his parents.

  • Yolanda Redrup

November 2024

Dom Pym has founded more than 22 companies, but you probably only know him as the guy who built neobank Up.

‘If we lose everything, we can just get a regular job’

From a childhood that was “pretty tough” in parts, Dom Pym founded 22 companies including neobank Up, which he sold for $116 million. Now he wants to elevate Australia’s venture ecosystem.

  • Yolanda Redrup

October 2024

Alisdair Faulkner, who founded and sold ThreatMetrix, is now running cyber firm Darwinium.

He sold his firm for $1b, but believes the next can be 10 times bigger

Tech guru Alisdair Faulkner went from being a “crocodile country” coder to selling little-known ThreatMetrix for a landmark sum. He now has greater ambitions.

  • Yolanda Redrup

September 2024

Declan Sherman went from Sydney  to New York to Brazil with Macquarie before starting his own business.

This ex-Macquarie banker toned up Brazil – and made a fortune

When Declan Sherman moved to the Latin American country with the investment bank, he was inspired to show the locals a new way to exercise.

  • Yolanda Redrup

August 2024

Stake co-founder Matt Leibowitz.

This trader spotted a ‘really big gap’ – and made a fortune

Stake’s Matt Leibowitz loved his job as a derivatives trader, but when his friends started asking how to invest in US stocks, he saw an opportunity.

  • Yolanda Redrup
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Gabriel Jakob in his office in Sydney.

This immigrant quietly made $550m. He has tips for making $1b

Gabriel Jakob is one of the most successful Australian entrepreneurs you’ve probably never heard of. Now he’s telling his story, but not posing for a full photo.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Sam Kroonenburg shares his story on the How I Made It podcast.

The one thing this Rich Lister says every founder needs to remember

Sam Kroonenburg built a company from his bedroom, with him and his brother Ryan both making about $500 million. But Sam, 40, is doing what he can to avoid the trappings of wealth.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

July 2024

How exquisite timing and meditating shaped this Rich Lister’s fortune

After deciding a career in law wasn’t for him, Kerry Harmanis turned to prospecting in WA. That decision led to the $3.1 billion sale of Jubilee Mines.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

Cars, boats and houses won’t make you happy, says this Rich Lister

Property developer Paul Blackburne landed on the Rich List with an estimated $536 million fortune. There’s a success trap entrepreneurs need to be mindful of, he says.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

June 2024

WiseTech co-founder Richard White.

The Rich Lister who avoids risk at all costs

Richard White wanted to be a rock ‘n’ roll star. He ended up developing software for companies in logistics and is now the 11th wealthiest person in Australia.

  • Julie-anne Sprague
Steph Claire Smith went from ‘another coat hanger on the books’ to Young Rich Lister.

A Young Rich Lister’s advice for founders wanting social media success

How a back-of-the-napkin plan put fitness star Steph Claire Smith on the Young Rich List.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

May 2024

How a uni dropout went from Maccas to building a $100m company

Mark Woodland was expanding his education start-up before realising he’d overlooked a critical component for its success and he had to fix it.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

This former Young Rich Lister just spent $700k to alter his genes

Nick Bell’s first business failed, his next made him millions. The serial entrepreneur’s latest business venture involves helping people live longer.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

April 2024

The homeschooled billionaire who built a fortune before turning 40

Shaun Bonett was the country’s richest person under 40 in 2007. Now a billionaire, he shares his story, including a humiliating $25 million mistake.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

December 2023

Rich Lister Sam Kennard took over the self-storage business when he was just 24.

How Sam Kennard built a $2.6b empire

The influential business figure always had ambition to work and grow the family company. But he didn’t expect his dad to give him total control when he was just 24 years of age.

  • Julie-anne Sprague
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How Cathie Reid went from typing class to a $550m fortune

The Rich Lister originally wanted to be a typist. Instead, she became a pharmacist before she spotted a gap in the market and become an entrepreneur alongside husband Stuart Giles.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

November 2023

How I Made It with Kevin Gosschalk

Why this Young Rich Lister shuns Australian investors

“When you find something you really enjoy, sleeping really just gets in the way,” says Kevin Gosschalk, the Young Rich Lister behind Arkose Labs.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

How Mark Carnegie thumb-sucked his way off the Rich List

The entrepreneur and corporate adviser has had plenty of woulda, shoulda, coulda moments. One of them cost him about $100 million.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

October 2023

This school drop-out became a property magnate. Here’s how he did it

He was told he didn’t have the ‘capability’ to finish school. Now, Nigel Satterley has a $500 million empire that landed him on the Rich List.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

This Rich Lister added $1b to his wealth in less than two years

Medical technology firm Pro Medicus has delivered blistering returns this year. Its success has propelled co-founder Sam Hupert into the $2 billion club.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/podcast/how-i-made-it-inside-the-rich-list