The Pitch: Meet the rising entrepreneurs and inventors who stand out from the pack
SO you want to be an entrepreneur? Start by checking out these rising Victorian stars, including the inventors of spill-proof baby food bottles, and “farmwalls” where cafes grow their own greens.
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FROM spill-free baby food bottles to “farmwalls” where cafes grow their own greens, the innovations came thick and fast in Victoria over the past year.
Here, we check in on all those featured in our series The Pitch, where rising entrepreneurs subject themselves to scrutiny from experts on start-up businesses.
Want to know how it works and see if your budding business could make the cut? Read our guide to The Pitch at the bottom of this article.
JULES MUSGROVE
Ghostly
Made in Melbourne, Ghostly socks are hand-dyed and packaged by Ms Musgrove, ready for sale.
That process means they are labour intensive, but each pair is unique.
“I like the idea of making something nice and putting it out in the world so people might enjoy it,” she said at the time.
When her story was featured in February, our mentors urged Ms Musgrove to ensure the price of the socks covered her costs.
They also encouraged her to outsource some aspects of the business so she could focus on the things she did best, and make better use of social media.
Almost a year on, Ms Musgrove says she has more stockists, is still selling Ghostly socks online and is happy with how her niche product is going.
CHERRI DAVIS
The Loose Lips Tea Company
In March, we met the entrepreneur behind the Loose Lips and My Organic wellbeing-themed range of tea blends.
Like many business owners, Ms Davis wanted to build the enterprise from a hobby into a business that could — as mentor John Downes often says — deliver a “just reward”.
Reflecting on her progress in the lead-up to Christmas, Ms Davis said she was now clearer about what she was doing.
“For a long time, I was just winging it,” she said.
“I feel I have more clarity, direction, mission and purpose about my story and the story behind the tea.”
She has signed distributors in most states and has changed the dynamic of the business, doing more wholesaling.
JULIE-ANNE AND GLEN MAYER
Subo Products
Necessity was the mother of invention for these husband and wife entrepreneurs.
Often on the move with their children, they were tired of squeeze packs that meant more food ended up on the children’s faces and clothing than in their mouths. In a long process to design a vessel that only dispatched food when children sucked on the bottle, they developed the Subo.
They were able to win grants to commercialise the Melbourne-made product.
Since we met the family, Mr Mayer has quit his day job and is focusing full-time on the business.
With his sales background, he is cold-calling potential stockists and attending markets to get Subo in front of as many eyes as possible.
“We have started a push to get into more retail stores,” he says, adding that five more stockists came on board in November.
Mr Mayer attended the Big Design Market at the Royal Exhibition Building last month and said it was a great success as he sold bottles and met more potential stockists.
JULIE DAL PRA
Lummi & Co
Ms Dal Pra was in Europe when she discovered the products that would become the core of her business, Lummi & Co lights.
The lights consist of LED bulbs encased in balls of colourful yarn, strung along lengths of cable.
Our mentors suggested she also offer complementary items, while others suggested she look beyond domestic uses and build her business through events companies, wedding planners and interior designers.
They also urged her to make better use of social media.
“I direct-mailed interior designers and set up trade accounts on our website to enable them … access (to it),” said Ms Del Pra, who has made use of National Australia Bank’s Start Counting financial advisory program for women.
“I definitely am where I want to be. The new website is working really well for us.”
ALEX DREW
Mr GP Clinic
In June, we met physiotherapist Alex Drew, who had a vision for a health clinic focused on men who were reluctant to get check-ups.
He sought capital for the project through a crowd-funding campaign, but could not secure the sum deemed necessary to ensure the business could launch successfully.
The mentors all suggested that the project needed more visibility through social media, an optimised website and new content.
MILANA WALLACE
Mopsy
A graphic designer, Ms Wallace was not impressed with the range of souvenirs — made in China and elsewhere — celebrating Australian attractions.
She developed her own range of locally-made products, including cards and prints with stylised images of Melbourne landmarks, through her business, Mopsy.
Ms Wallace was doing some online selling but the business was built around a wholesale model.
Her mentors encouraged her to build demand by selling more products online, blogging, vlogging and optimising her website.
Ms Wallace said she was happy with the progress of the business.
“Over the past few months, Mopsy has been very fortunate to establish some amazing new retailers in Melbourne to build upon its reputable existing list of clients,” she said.
“Our aim is to build our range of products and support Australian made businesses in Melbourne.”
JANE LOUISE HEARN
Lilac and the Cat
An experienced florist, Ms Hearn decided to set up a business with sustainable principals, celebrating seasonal flowers while using less wrapping and other packaging.
The mentors suggested she drive home her message of sustainability at her business, called Lilac and the Cat.
Ms Hearn has been selling from the Fitzroy Mills market each Saturday.
“I really like the market and people who have been following me on social media are coming in,” she says, adding that she will also attend some sustainability events this year.
CHRIS MCCORMACK AND TEAM
Wild Melbourne
Made up of science and communications graduates, Wild Melbourne is a not-for-profit enterprise that strives to educate the public on Australian wildlife and key scientific and environmental matters.
Among its services, Wild Melbourne offers professional cinematography and photography, hosts seminars and makes promotional material and installations for government departments.
The mentors urged the Wild Melbourne team to do more work engaging their potential audience through social media and optimising their website to reach more people.
Mr McCormack, the managing director and founder of the group, said Wild Melbourne had launched a national nature-engagement charity, called Remember The Wild.
“Importantly, we have started conversations with individuals and groups across the country on how they can help us build new ‘Wild Cities’, like Wild Melbourne, elsewhere in Australia,” he said.
BOB SPENCER
Raw Brit
A gifted musician, former Skyhooks and The Angels guitarist Bob Spencer later struggled to earn a steady income because, like many artists, he had not approached his craft in a commercial way.
However, through teaching and playing in a group called Raw Brit that covers British bands, he has tapped into a market of cashed-up Baby Boomers keen to relive their youth.
The mentors suggested he rethink his marketing and social media strategy to capitalise on an already healthy following.
“My business is doing well and I’m quite busy,” Mr Spencer said. “I’ve taken on board suggestions and advice from Vivian, Bruce and John and will implement more of them when my solo album is given its official release in the new year.”
LUKE SCICLUNA AND STACEY BENNETT
The Way We Have Fun
Based in Melbourne, Mr Scicluna and Ms Bennett used a crowd-funding platform to publish a children’s book.
Their book, The Way We Have Fun, was inspired by growing up in the days before smartphones were ubiquitous, and makes use of Ms Bennett’s illustration skills.
They raised more than $7000 in the crowd-funding campaign — well over their $4000 minimum to cover a print run of 1000 books and some basic marketing costs.
They featured in The Pitch series just two months ago, with their first shipment of books due to arrive in time for delivery to customers before Christmas.
GEERT HENDRIX
Farmwall
Last month, we met a start-up with a fresh take on farming.
Founded by Mr Hendrix, Farmwall is developing small, vertical gardens — similar in dimension to bookcases — for installation at cafes and in kitchens.
They are planted with microgreens and will be made available on a subscription basis, where businesses pay for the use of the vertical farm and for weekly upkeep.
Mr Hendrix said such greens were hugely popular as garnishes, but the traditional supply-chain system led to a lot of waste and packaging.
The business received a huge response from prospective businesses after it was profiled for The Pitch, he said.
THE PITCH, EXPLAINED
How the NBN has delivered just in time
The NBN has delivered, and it has done so in what can only be described as the ultimate — the hit-the-ground running immediate — stress test, rites Terry McCrann.
Sydney airport the wrong place at the wrong time
Sydney Airport has some of the sweetest acreage in Australia but when passengers numbers have dwindled from 9 million in the March quarter to 400,000 in the June quarter, that doesn’t count for much, writes Terry McCrann.