How I Made It

When Anthony Woods was growing up in Perth, he and his dad had a deal: “He [dad] would break the home computer, and I would fix it.”  The seeds of his career would grow from this family pastime.  The software engineer is now the co-founder of Grafana Labs, a tech company valued at $13 billion with 25 million users around the world who rely on its simple-to-use data visualisat...

When Ben Young first pitched his idea for reusable coffee cups, his business strategy colleagues dismissed it. “The smartest guys in the room said it was silly; I was being an idiot because why would you have a reusable cup when [you] can just put the old one in the bin, not think about it anymore, and get on with [your] day,” recalls Young. But after seeing first hand the effects sing...

When Nicole Eckels moved to Sydney in 2005, one of the first things she did was go to David Jones to shop for her new apartment. On the lookout for a fragrant candle to scent her home, what she found was a gap in the market. Now the founder and CEO of Glasshouse Fragrances, Nicole has grown her company into a global powerhouse, with products stocked in more than 10 countries including the US. On t...

Bill Beament put himself on the map by transforming a fledgling explorer, Northern Star, into one of the world's biggest gold miners. After turning the 1¢ company into a multibillion-dollar giant, the West Australian decided to take a punt on a new solo venture. Now the founder and chief executive of mining exploration company Develop Global, the king of Kalgoorlie is turning his attention to...

When Bruna Papandrea arrived in New York, she had $200. An avid storyteller, the South Australian began reading scripts for her friend, actor Anthony LaPaglia. But it was when she was offered a job working for legendary filmmakers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella that her career transformed. “I was 29, and I get chills telling the story because that is just a moment that you can't fathom...

When Craig Carracher first met his business partner, Stephen Gaitanos, he was somewhat reluctant to team up. “He was only a young fellow. He's 15 years younger than me, and he put his hand up and said, ‘I'd like to come across as your junior,'" Carracher recalls. “And I said, ‘Look, I'm not going to pay you for five years. I'm not sure I like you... I owe you nothing.'...

Grace Brown had always enjoyed maths, science and music. Teamed with a “wild imagination”, her interest in patterns meant she was obsessed with all things magic. When she took on an engineering design subject in high school, everything became clear. “I wanted to spend the rest of my life working as an engineer because you could just imagine something and create it that didn't pre...

The former lawyer walked away from a top-tier legal career to risk his house on an ETF venture. It’s now the country’s second-largest exchange-traded funds provider. "I was just totally convinced that you know I should just do it," says the Betashares founder. On the first episode of the new season of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams sits down with the chief executive to found out how h...

How I Made It is back with host Lauren Sams.  Don’t miss season six as we uncover how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up, Janine Allis never thought about starting her own business. “I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was,” she says. But after spotting a gap in the market, there was no stopping the founder of a now-global smoothie company that’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. On the final episode of season five of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds ou...

Since she was a little girl, Flavia Tata Nardini was obsessed with space. The Italian-born rocket scientist began her career at the European Space Agency but moved to Adelaide in her 20s, where she found herself confronted with a lack of industry. Left with no other choice, she started her own business. On this week's episode of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how the CEO...

Vikas Rambal came to Australia from India on a prospective business trip in 2000. But the project he was looking into was not what it seemed. It was a moment on his five-day trip that would prove to be pivotal. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how a scam and a chance encounter set about the Perdaman Group founder’s dream to build the co...

Chris Lucas grew up in the world of hospitality, often spending time in his dad’s pub in Geelong. But it wasn’t until his mid-30s that one of the country’s top restaurateurs entered the industry himself. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams finds out how working at IBM as a sales and marketing executive inspired Lucas to become one of the biggest figure...

Leading Australia’s largest airline is by all accounts a dream job.  But in 2012, Bruce Buchanan – who was on track to become chief executive of Qantas – walked away from the national carrier. He now runs one of the world’s hottest tech companies: $7.2 billion e-commerce marketing tech firm Rokt. This week on How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup pulls back th...

Trinny Woodall first became a household name as one half of the dynamic duo, Trinny and Susannah. Together the pair built a career issuing fashion advice to women on their long-running BBC series, What Not to Wear . But at the age of 53 Woodall decided it was time to step out on her own, launching eponymous beauty brand Trinny London. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, fashion editor L...

Growing up on a sheep farm, Matt Jensen has long had an appreciation for natural fibres. But it was during a stint in London working as a banker that the budding entrepreneur spotted a gap in the menswear market. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, fashion editor Lauren Sams finds out how the failure of one business led to the success of another – menswear giant MJ Bale. This podc...

When the co-founder and former chief executive of The Big Group was 21, he had just $500 in his pocket. Not afraid of risk, Bruce Keebaugh and his wife, Chyka Keebaugh, used it to champion the competitive world of catering and events. This week on How I Made it, The Australian Financial Review’s Lauren Sams finds out how this hospitality guru came to dominate an industry. This podcast was sp...

From the start of high school, Rod Drury was captivated by computing.  It was a fascination that would go on to create one of the largest ASX-listed tech companies, accounting software giant Xero. In this week’s episode of How I Made It, The Australian Financial Review Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how a passion in high school became a $28 billion company. This podcast was s...

Jose Bryce Smith came to Australia on holiday. Seven years later, she founded what would become one of the country’s biggest haircare brands. With products stocked in more than 30,000 salons across 21 countries, Original & Mineral (O&M) is a dominant force in the hair industry. In this week’s episode of the new season of How I Made It, The Australian Financial Review fashion ed...

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams & Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Further reading: Aussie who sold cloud start-up for $2b jumps on AI for ads Young Rich Lister says more founders should take cash off the table See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After deciding working at Legal Aid wasn’t the career for him, Kerry Harmanis applied to an art school. He was rejected and turned to prospecting in WA. It was a journey that led to the $3.1 billion sale of Jubilee Mines right as nickel prices peaked. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Blackburne built a property company that in 2016 land him on the Financial Review Rich List with an estimated $536 million fortune. He’s also seen other people make lots of money and says there’s a success trap entrepreneurs need to be mindful of.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard White wanted to be a rock and roll star. He ended up developing software for companies in the logistics industry. In 1994 he founded Wise Tech Global and is now the 11th wealthiest person in Australia. To ask a question, email howimadeit@afr.com   This podcast is sponsored by Commonwealth Private To find out more about Commonwealth Private click  here See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

How a back of the napkin plan put fitness star Steph Claire Smith on the Young Rich List. To ask a question, email howimadeit@afr.com   This podcast is sponsored by Commonwealth Private To find out more about Commonwealth Private click  here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.