Backing yourself takes guts but these entrepreneurs show how going all-in with a great idea can deliver incredible results.
By Stephanie Nuzzo
For many Aussies, running a business is a pipedream that gathers dust on the back shelves of the imagination. But these young entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to build something they’re passionate about into a business and seized it. Here are their reflections on spotting a gap in the market and acting on it.
Customers can pick their own toppings at Chip 'n' Mix in Noosa Heads.
Rhi Pearce and Josh Leach were taking a stroll through Queensland’s Noosa National Park when Rhi announced she wanted to create a self-serve loaded fry bar. “My jaw hit the floor,” says Josh. “We talked about it nonstop for about a month.”
The concept was smart and simple: build a hot-chip bar with a spread of serve-yourself toppings. “It seemed like quite a scary venture, initially,” says Josh. But when a lease became available on Noosa’s bustling Hastings Street, the opportunity was too good to pass up. After friends Ysabella Buckley-Tyree and Lisa Tyree jumped on board, the four entrepreneurs began the life-altering journey of starting Chip ’n’ Mix.
Connecting with CommBank’s business team, the group secured funding and a local small business banker who helped guide them through the process. “It was all systems go—which was scary but so much fun,” says Ysabella. The idea came to life in four months and despite challenges, the team’s faith never wavered.
“Day one, we sold out twice,” says Josh. “We were getting fast-food numbers for a product with quality prep. It quickly became apparent that we needed to expand our operations.” The team opened their doors on a Saturday and by the following Monday they had a second kitchen.
“The traction we got in the first week was unbelievable,” recalls Ysabella. From a crew of 10, the Chip ’n’ Mix staff is now 35 strong and they’ve been swamped with offers to develop further. “We had a franchise offer two weeks before we even opened,” says Ysabella. While they’re careful not to take on too much too quickly, nor compromise on quality, “The plan is definitely to expand,” notes Josh.
“Initially, we wanted to be more professional with our social-media posts but that’s just not us,” says Ysabella. Adds Josh, “We just started filming exactly what we were doing and sharing all our thoughts along the way.” Their young and fun tone quickly built traction. “It wasn’t long before we had people from all over the world following our posts,” says Ysabella.
A new revenue stream gave Brandi's business stability and momentum.
When Wiradjuri and Tongan artist Brandi Salmon moved to Hobart/Nipaluna, Tasmania, she was searching for a place to raise her young family. What she didn’t expect to find was a new idea that would transform her creative business.
When she decided to test the idea of custom wedding portraits, painted at the event itself, the demand was immediate. It opened up a new revenue stream that gave her business stability and momentum. Initially balancing her art with a day job at the Australian Tax Office, Brandi made the leap to painting full-time, backed by her partner’s encouragement and a community that embraced her style. “As a Blak artist who doesn’t do traditional art, I’ve been surprised by how many people connect with my work.”
She’s also developed a knack for identifying creative work that helps pay the bills while allowing her to pursue her passion. Murals, for instance, have become a cornerstone of her income.
“Basically, you do one mural and you can be comfortable for a few months.” Brandi dreams of doing more work that blends her identity and public art. “I want to showcase Aboriginal people and culture but in my own way, through murals,” she says. “That’s what I want to do forever.”
Showcasing her work at a wedding expo gave attendees a glimpse of what a live wedding painting looks like. “It’s still a new concept in Australia but the feedback has been super positive. The couples love it and their guests do, too.”
Kevin cobbled together a prototype for a multi-use hooded towel at home.
For Kevin Tjoe, founder of Rovewaver, his vision of a multi-use hooded towel came from an everyday annoyance. “I’d always struggled with having to carry multiple things to the beach,” he says. At his local beach, Malabar in Sydney, he’d noticed people lugging towels “that are essentially useless once you leave the beach”. Juggling a bunch of belongings and later wrestling with that towel to cover the car seat became something of a bugbear for him. As with many innovations, Kevin wondered if there was a better way.
The idea for Rovewaver was to combine all beach essentials into one—a four-in-one product that acts as a towel, poncho, tote bag and car-seat cover. It began with the content marketer sketching out an idea and cobbling together a prototype at home using cheap fabric and a glue gun.
“I went through at least three rounds of samples with my manufacturer,” he says. But once they landed on the final design, he knew he had something special. Fast-forward a year and a half and Rovewaver is being sold at Sydney markets and online. For Kevin, the best part of it all is customer feedback. People have approached his stand at markets to say, “‘I purchased this from you and I just want to show you all the trips I’ve used it on!’”
Kevin’s journey so far has been something of a “pinch me” experience. “I’m like, ‘Wow. This idea I had is actually helping people out.’ I still can’t wrap my head around it.”
“I first launched Rovewaver online but I was curious to see how people would interact with it in real life so I gave markets a shot,” says Kevin. “I got insights I’d never get through a screen. It helped reshape how I thought about the design and who I was really building it for.”
Zoe wanted people with disabilities to share in the joy she feels while dancing.
“I grew up in a small town, Port Lincoln, about seven hours away from Adelaide. There was a small dance studio there and I forced my mum to put me in classes at five years old,” says Zoe Karatzovalis, founder of Infinite Abilities Performing Arts. “I loved it from the get-go. I loved how it made me feel.” Years later, Zoe ventured to Adelaide, then to Sydney, in pursuit of a dance career. While she gained experience, she realised the dance world was wearing her down. “It was a cutthroat industry and I wasn’t ready for it.”
Taking a break, she turned her attention to another world she’s deeply passionate about: the disability sector. “I have a brother on the spectrum and always wanted to work with people with disabilities,” says Zoe. She applied for a role as a disability support worker as the COVID-19 lockdowns hit in 2020 and, as an essential worker, was tasked with supporting people each day during that isolating time. “Doing disability work was making me really happy.”
That fulfilment sparked an idea—Zoe wanted people with disabilities to share in the joy she feels while dancing. “I started by putting on fun dance classes for people on the spectrum. Then, once I had more experience, I thought, ‘Why not open up a disability dance studio? What do I have to lose?’”
In 2023, she launched Infinite Abilities and today, the business has three studios and 60 students. For Zoe, running her own business is an achievement that makes her incredibly proud but the results have been more than worth the effort. “People think students just take classes to dance but they’re learning so much more,” says Zoe. “They’re learning to connect with people. They’re learning about etiquette, about working hard. It’s so cool to see.”
Zoe’s main focus wasn’t getting masses of students straightaway. As an established disability support worker, she found people in the community were excited to see her dance project up close and helped spread the word organically. “It’s so important to me that our students grow confidently without any pressure or stress,” she says.
Steve Pastor, founder of signage company Kings of Neon, grew his side hustle into a multi-million dollar success story. Here are his top tips for acting on a gap in the market.
To see more small business owners share the lessons they’ve learnt, watch and stream The Brighter Side, Fridays at 8:30pm on 10.
An earlier version of this article was published in Brighter magazine.
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