Brothers Acland and Blake Brierty are at the helm of the popular Yandina restaurant Spirit House and recently celebrated their head chef, Tom Hitchcock, winning Foodservices Australia’s Chef of the Year.

The brothers’ parents started the restaurant about 25 years ago.

Since taking over, the pair has had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, the destruction of part of their restaurant, a rain bomb and grieved the loss of their mum, Helen Brierty, who died in 2019.

Acland said consumers and their tastes had changed a lot since the restaurant was founded and people need only view early episodes of MasterChef and compare them to the latest series to see how sophisticated amateur cooks had become.

Acland and Blake sat down and worked out a business model and a firm idea of what they offered, which was a destination experience.

“That was the only way we decided we’re going to survive, we’re not the restaurant that you can stand in the street and wait for a table,” Acland said.

“We pour a heap of resources and revenue into the garden and the buildings.”

The owner said he was proud of his team of chefs that kept the restaurant “relevant” and warned others starting out they needed to find a point of difference in the market.

“It can’t just be another fish and chip shop, you have to ask ‘what makes me different from the rest?’,” he said.

He said anyone starting a business also needed an awareness of what they were getting into.

“I think for anyone starting a business they just really need to be aware of the risks involved because you do stand to lose everything,” Acland said.

“Is your idea worth that cost?

“Is it worth the marriage, or worth the house?”

Acland said the thing that kept him up at night was that there was “50-odd” staff relying on the decisions he and his brother made to ensure the Spirit House stayed appealing for the customers and the staff.

“It’s a big responsibility, it’s a big concern … it’s really about the people in it,” he said.

The Shop at Coolum

Having to phone the police because of “mask rage” during the Covid-19 pandemic was a low point for a Coolum Beach business owner who has otherwise thrived in the seaside suburb for nearly 20 years.

Owners Gay Williams and Dave Pocock will mark two decades at The Shop at Coolum, on the bustling David Low Way.

Ms Williams opened the store on February 14, 2004, and received a “massive” bunch of flowers from who she thought, at first, was a Valentine.

It was in fact a bunch of blooms from a friend to say congratulations on the store opening.

She said about 80 per cent of her trade was from locals, and the 20 per cent of holiday trade she received was the “icing on the cake”.

Ms Williams said Coolum Beach was a close-knit community and the couple had always been a part of it.

“Even after all this time, I love being here,” she said.

“We just really enjoy it.”

She said it was not a secret, but the key for her to running a successful long-term business was to be hands-on in the shop and to give back to the community.

The couple “shouts” volunteers free coffees and raises money for community groups, individuals and families through their $5 second-hand books.

She said Covid-19 was a challenge due to some individuals refusing to follow the rules, especially around mask-wearing, and they had to call police twice because of the aggression shown by a couple of customers.

“Mask rage, we called it,” Ms Williams said.

But the bigger issue was the global financial crisis.

“The GFC was shocking, that knocked us around more than anything in the 20 years,” Ms Williams said.
The store owner acknowledged the community for their ability to stay in business for so long.

Zambezee

Zambezee has been owned and operated by Natalie and Lorelei Bedford since 1997 and the pair owns boutiques in Mooloolaba and Hastings St, Noosa.

“We have always offered unparalleled service and a wonderful, diverse range of quality designer labels to suit everyone, even the most astute fashionable ladies” Natalie said.

The owner said they provided shoppers with quality labels and emphasised an “exclusive and unique” shopping experience.

“This is evident in our returning clients we have dressed over the years who continue to come in regularly to update their wardrobes,” Natalie said.

She also said e-commerce was crucial to a successful retail business and Zambezee launched online a decade ago.

“Never stop growing with the market and going along with the constant technological changes that are always thrown at us,” Natalie said.

“Work hard and don’t give up.

“Invest in good staff because having a good team of people around you daily is priceless.”

She also said it was crucial to stay “ahead of the game” with labels, trends and exceptional service.

“Define what your audience is looking for and deliver that product,” Natalie said.

Rickys River Bar and Restaurant

This venue, on the shores of the Noosa River, has become a must-eat destination for many locals and visitors alike over the years.

According to its website, the menu has a strong focus on produce from the area including the iconic Mooloolaba king prawns and local white fish.

The venue’s private jetty also means an extra special arrival via the water is an option.

Beach Beat

The surfing company has three shops in Caloundra, Alexandra Headland and Coolum Beach.

The business has operated on the Sunshine Coast since 1986 and its website states its experienced and passionate team loves the surf and sharing their knowledge of the water.

It has created “tens of thousands” of boards over the years.

Harry’s on Buderim

Harry’s on Buderim opened in 1994.

On the edge of Buderim Forest Park, diners are served in a homestead more than 140 years old that was opened in 1901, in another location, as a guesthouse.

According to the restaurant’s website, the original building was constructed in 1880 by Harry Board.

Noosa Boathouse

Phil and Sarah Bradford have run the Noosa Boathouse themselves since 2013, though Mr Bradford has been involved in the legendary business on the banks of the Noosa River since 2008.

The couple has worked hard to turn the business around since they took over sole operation.

Mr Bradford said when the couple first took over, they would pay people to come from Hastings St on the ferry to Noosaville.

Now, Noosaville was on the cuisine map with a great number of locals frequenting the venues along Gympie Tce.

He said new business owners must have a point of difference and needed to stay “agile” because challenges were always going to occur.

He said, between Covid-19 and the global financial crisis, Covid-19 was far more taxing mentally for him.

He said the GFC was a slow down in business but the pandemic was all about reacting to decisions placed upon the business.

Mr Bradford said it was also important to reward senior staff financially for a job well done.

“We got a new chef (in 2013) and he’s been there the whole time, he’s entrenched in the business financially, he has a long-term vision,” he said.

Baked Poetry Cafe

The Baked Poetry Cafe has remained open in the Peregian Beach Village for years.

The cafe specialises in gourmet European-style breads and cakes and, according to its website, meals are made on-premises.

Franks Gym

The owners of Franks Gym, on Lanyana Way in Noosa Heads, own the building and the equipment and the business’s website states that this means the gym is “constantly reinvesting” in new equipment.

It also states it is Noosa’s only independent gym.

The gym has been operating for years.

The Nambour Book Exchange

The Nambour Book Exchange has been a staple at Currie St since 1985, when now-owner Darren Bailey’s parents first opened it.

Mr Bailey took over the shop in 2007, the year of the Global Financial Crisis.

He said his advice to new business owners was to research the area they’re moving into.

“I have some shops closing around me and other shops selling the same products are actually trying to opening up,” he said.

“If somebody did the research and went to ground zero and found out why those shops are closing and having to shut, because there’s no business and lack of trade, then why would they even think of opening the same thing?”

But for withstanding business owners, Mr Bailey’s advice was to take it one day at a time.

He said his secret to success was keeping his overheads down, given he was the only one who worked in the shop.

The Barn on Flaxton

The iconic Barn on Flaxton, situated between Mapleton and Montville, first opened in 1969. It was taken over by its current owner, Ange Bowen, in 2019.

Ms Bowen said her best advice to business owners was to “look after your locals”.

“(We look after our locals) in the price point, looking after them in the menu, listening to what they want and what they like … they’re your bread and butter,” she said.

“When it’s quiet and there’s no tourists, when the weather is bad and there’s no tourists, it’s the locals that keep you ticking over.”

She said one of her main focuses was keeping prices down for her customers to keep them coming back.

“You can either get your locals coming in once a week because they can’t afford it or they can come in three times a week,” she said.

Catering to the local customers was one way Ms Bowen kept the business afloat during Covid, she said.

She suggested cutting costs on products where possible, which in her case meant home baking rather than importing goods.

Ms Bowen said the secret to the Barn’s success was delivering meals during Covid and switching over to bulk meals, so customers could buy a weeks worth rather than day-to-day.

They now stock a lot of fresh produce as well.

Big Kart Track

Thrillseekers have been ripping around the Big Kart Track at Landsborough since the attraction opened in 1983.

Owner Ferre de Deyne told the Sunshine Coast Daily in February 2023 his go-kart business, which has a 1.2km track, was supported heavily by his loyal team, saying some staff have been there for 15 to 20 years.

“If you take care of (them), they’ll stay,” he said.

Mr de Deyne said one challenge was to ensure the business was constantly fun and exciting, which was already supported by his service being real, unlike Mario Kart.

The Yandina Hotel

The Yandina Hotel’s website states it is one of the oldest pubs on the Sunshine Coast after being established by pioneers in 1887.

It was described as offering all the services of a modern hotel but also offers “the experience of an original Aussie pub”.

The Imperial Hotel

The Imperial Hotel in Eumundi opened in 1911 and has been welcoming tourists and locals ever since, according to the establishment’s website.

Today it is home to the Eumundi Brewers and Eumundi Distillery, where patrons can find live acoustic music in the beer garden all weekend and ticketed shows in entertainment spaces.

A Rolley and Sons

Sunshine Coast construction team A Rolley and Sons was established in 1943.

Its website states the business has a focus on “simplicity of design” and construction that is built to last.

They take pride in creating flexible, energy efficient homes filled with an abundance of light and space.

Platinum Residential

Platinum Residential Designer Homes was established the year before the Global Financial Crisis, owner Anthony Stopka said.

Mr Stopka’s said his best advice to business owners at the moment was to keep their overheads low, having as good of a grip on costs as possible, know your contracts, manage any wastage and safeguard yourself against price rises.

“Every component of your business – be all over it and be better in every way,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic time to be debt free … to be debt free is extremely important at the moment because there’s so much uncertainty.”

Another tip, he said, was to be constantly recruiting subcontractors.

“Everyone’s been overloaded … but that’s going to change in the next six months. We will see a downturn, if people aren’t already seeing it,” he said.

The secret to his success as a construction company owner, he said, was to always be better than your competition.

“You have to be very competitive price wise, and inversely you have to be all over your costings and your overheads,” he said.

AUSMAR Homes

Sunshine Coast-owned and operated construction company AUSMAR Homes has been around for almost three decades.

Their website states they know the value of exceptional customer service and put their customers at the heart of everything they do.

Their website also states they are the Sunshine Coast’s “largest builder”.