Companies on the Move

Raw by Bek becomes the Australian fitness regime ‘to beat’

BRISBANE boutique fitness studio, Raw by Bek is giving the fitness industry itself a ‘workout’. Raw by Bek has developed unique, pre-choreographed ‘to-the-beat’ classes, changing the way Australians view what is now known as ‘high-interval-intensity-training’ (HIIT).

Raw by Bek’s director and head trainer, Bek Strachan said Raw by Bek is Australia’s first and only ‘HIIT-to-the-beat’ studio that features music-synced interval training designed to push members to work harder and see results faster.

Each playlist and song is carefully selected and used as the foundation for the routine, designed to engage the entire body to move to the rhythm of the music, leaving muscles burning for hours after. 

Ms Strachan said her trainers each spend 2000 hours a year choreographing routines to ensure every burpee, lunge, squat, plank and tuck jump is strategically and rhythmically matched to the music.

“Music allows us to create routines that are fresh, unique and fun. There’s nothing better than seeing everyone training, in unison, to the beat of the music,” Ms Strachan said.

“You get the biggest results in the shortest period of time. There’s something special that happens when you combine blood-pumping beats, revolutionary functional exercises, and a team of trainers who shift your mindset to a place that frees you, empowers you, and ensures you leave feeling on top of the world.

*A study conducted on the effect of music tempo on exercise performance and heart rate indicates the combination of music and exercise increases the exerciser’s effort output and heart rate without them noticing,” Ms Strachan said.

“My classes are different to the usual HIIT workout because we create our routines using music as the inspiration for movement. The music is carefully selected for an optimal full body workout, each lyric, beat and rhythm targeting specific areas of the body.

“As the beat of the music fluctuates, so do our movements, ultimately encouraging short bursts of extremely high physical intensity with rest periods to boost fitness levels and burn fat. 

“Raw by Bek capitalises on the instinct to synchronize movements with music and channels this into a fast-paced, fun and effective workout that lifts our members’ moods and persuades them to ride out waves of exhaustion.”
Ms Strachan said Raw by Bek takes a holistic approach to health and fitness, giving people access to all the required steps in their fitness journey.

“When members sign up, they receive a Raw by Bek shirt or towel, booty bands and online access to weekly updated meal plans crafted by an accredited dietitian, at no additional cost to their monthly membership,” she said.  

“We believe in an inclusive and open community environment and strive to help our members become the best version of themselves. This really sets us apart from other gyms and allows us to be the change we want to see in the fitness industry.”  

Raw by Bek is celebrating three years in business on December 14, 2019.

www.rawbybek.com.au

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Northside Gynaecology’s mantra of success: by women for women

AS ONE of the few gynaecological practices in Australia run purely by women, for women, Northside Gynaecology’s core dedication is to compassionately meet the unique and changing gynaecological needs of modern women.  

That is the ethos of its founder and owner, renowned gynaecologist Archna Saraswat. Dr Saraswat said the practice was born out of a clear need for focussed attention on gynaecological services for women. 

“We wanted to open a practice that uniquely addresses all gynaecological issues barring obstetrics,” Dr Saraswat said. 

“While having a baby is a very important part of many women’s lives, our focus is to offer clinical care that supports every woman in various stages of life,” she said.  

Instead, Dr Saraswat and her team of exclusively female gynaecologists provide a holistic approach to women’s pelvic health, offering several innovative surgical techniques and non-surgical therapies. 

This October, Northside Gynaecology celebrated its fifth birthday, with 150 of South East Queensland’s leading medicos and industry associates in attendance at Blackbird Restaurant for “an evening of great food, inspiring talks and even a little dancing”. 

“For us it was a way of giving back to our community to say thank you for all the support they have given us over the last five years,” Dr Saraswat said. “It is also a way of showcasing just how far our practice has come as well as giving us an opportunity to share our vision for the future.”

Dr Saraswat said this vision not only includes the continuance of the high standards the practice has set, but to also strive for continuing improvements into comprehensive and compassionate gynaecological care for all Australian women.

www.northsidegynaecology.com.au

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Winebuyers.com uncorks winemakers for wine lovers

By Leon Gettler >>

BEN REVELL has made a big difference to e-commerce wine retailing in the UK – and, more recently, around the world.

His company, Winebuyers.com, is a wine club that offers consumers the chance to buy wine at the same price direct from the supplier. It lists more than 50,000 wines and spirits. 

Working on a completely transparent model, Winebuyers does not mark up prices or charge commission on any item sold, enabling customers to buy wines at exactly the same price as they would from the supplier direct.   

Winebuyers makes its revenue from charging suppliers a subscription fee. It has custom built application programming interfaces (APIs) that automate the entire process with artificial intelligence (AI).

Mr Revell said the idea to set up the company came to him about 10 years ago when he turned up a wine auction and put in a cheeky bid for a 1959 Chateaux Margaux. The auctioneer was selling it for £7200 and Revell put in a bid of £3700, never thinking he would win it, nor particularly wanting to win it.

But lo and behold, he did. He sold it three days later and almost doubled his money.

UNCORKING A BUSINESS

Three months later, he had amassed 500 bottles. He wanted to sell it but there was no real viable route to do that. It was almost impossible to sell on Amazon, illegal to sell on eBay. It then dawned on him to set up the business.

“Why not connect the people making the wine to the people actually buying it?” Mr Revell told Talking Business. “After a lot of research, it blew my mind that nobody seemed to me be doing that, or doing that correctly.”

He said the company gets its wines from suppliers from 40 different countries. Mr Revell said the primary focus was on the UK but there was a lot of appetite from Western Europe and Eastern Europe.

Customers also come “from all over the place,” he said.

DELIVERING ON PROMISE

The wine is delivered from the vineyard straight to the consumer. 

“That’s the beauty of the platform. The reality is a model like ours couldn’t have existed 10 or 15 years ago. There’s been massive developments with the three major shipping companies, UPS, FedEx and DHL.

“They’ve come on in leaps and bounds and not only made it possible for vineyards to ship to the end customer, it’s their most economic route,” he said.

Mr Revell  said producers were happy to pay the subscription fee, which works off a sliding scale based on how much wine they want to list.

The result is it being mutually beneficial for everyone involved with the customer getting it for the best price, leaving them with the warm fuzzy feeling that they’re helping the producer and not lining the pockets of the supermarket, and the producers maximising their margins selling direct to the customers.

“With us in the middle with us, if we have 1000 suppliers paying us £100 a month, why do we need to be greedy and take margin on the sale of items?” Mr Revell said.

www.winebuyers.com

www.leongettler.com

Hear the complete interview and catch up with other topical business news on Leon Gettler’s Talking Business podcast, released every Friday at www.acast.com/talkingbusiness.  

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Brisbane’s business innovators: 56 finalists vie for Lord Mayor’s Business Awards

A HIGH-RESOLUTION RADAR named GroundProbe that predicts mine site collapses; a food delivery service, Food Connect, that links local farmers with consumers; and Law on Earth, an online platform helping people access legal services, are among 56 finalists in this year’s Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Business Awards.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the 2019 finalists represent the wide breadth of talent and ingenuity within Brisbane’s business community.

“The 2019 finalists demonstrate why Brisbane is one of Australia’s most progressive and business-friendly cities – a place where collaboration is a genuine part of business,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Every year, the Lord Mayor’s Business Awards unearth stories of world-leading innovations, best-practice environmental and sustainable initiatives, and inspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs. 

“These businesses and individuals make a positive impact on our local economy and community, but also internationally with ground-breaking research, products and services,” he said.

“As a finalist for the Queensland Urban Utilities Award for Product Innovation, GroundProbe’s SSR-OMNI is the highest resolution radar on the market and is used around the world to predict mine collapses with 100 percent accuracy, delivering enormous safety and productivity benefits,” Cr Schrinner said.

“In the new ISPT Award for Outstanding Social Enterprise category, Food Connect is supporting local farmers and bringing healthy communities closer together through its fresh food hub and delivery service. 

“The new Brisbane City Council Award for Outstanding Micro Business recognises companies including Law on Earth, which offers an easy and affordable way for people to access legal documents and information – a process many find daunting,” he said.

“It’s also pleasing to see an inspiring group of finalists vying for Young Business Person and Business Person of the Year – people who exemplify why Brisbane is Australia’s New World City,” Cr Schrinner said.

“These are just a few examples among the group of outstanding finalists that all contribute to our vibrant community and fuel our city with the confidence that anything is possible.

“Many successful and innovation businesses call Brisbane home and I’m pleased to see an incredibly strong group of finalists this year,” Cr Schrinner said.

“I look forward to joining Brisbane’s business community at the 2019 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards Gala Dinner on October 18, where the winners of the 11 categories will be announced.”

2019 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards finalists

Queensland Urban Utilities Award for Product Innovation finalists:

  • GroundProbe for SSR-Omni
  • Microba
  • Seipel Group Pty Ltd for Urox Bladder Control
  • Superloop for ClearView Behavioural Analytics
  • Watkins Steel

Brisbane City Council Award for Outstanding Micro Business finalists:

  • Charlton Innovation
  • Law on Earth
  • Mizzie the Kangaroo
  • Signs Australia
  • Solaire Properties
  • World’s Biggest Garage Sale

Australia Pacific LNG Award for Business Innovation finalists:

  • MTA Queensland
  • Nightlife Music
  • PeopleBench
  • Seipel Group Pty Ltd
  • Surgical Performance

ANZ Award for High-Growth Business Start-up finalists:

  • AssetOn Group Pty Ltd
  • Citrus International
  • Clipchamp Pty Ltd
  • MOVUS Australia Pty Ltd

HSBC Award for Doing Business in Asia finalists:

  • HART Sport
  • Palladium
  • Superloop
  • Tritium
  • Urbis

Yurika Award for Environmental Sustainability in Business finalists:

  • Brisbane Airport Corporation
  • Sekisui House Australia
  • Solaire Properties
  • TyreStock Pty Ltd
  • University of Queensland

ISPT Award for Outstanding Social Enterprise finalists:

  • Food Connect
  • Juiced TV
  • Leap in!
  • Stronger Smarter Institute
  • World’s Biggest Garage Sale

CCIQ Award for Outstanding Small Business finalists:

  • Aremdeco Pty Ltd
  • CrossFit Torian
  • Liquid State
  • New Farm Confectionery
  • Nourish’d
  • Universal Field Robots

Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd Award for New Investment in Brisbane finalists:

  • Brisbane Airport Corporation
  • Consolidated Properties Group
  • Hilton Foods Australia
  • The Fortitude Music Hall
  • Student One

Singapore Airlines Award for Young Business Person of the Year finalists:

  • Abbey Crompton – Nourish’d
  • Ally Kelly – Mind Blank Ltd
  • Harrison Black – Foster & Black
  • Jonathon Runge - VostroNet
  • Matthew McHutchison - IVAA

The Courier-Mail Award for Business Person of the Year finalists:

  • Dr Chris Jeffery – Field Orthopaedics
  • Jano Kotzas – The Prop House
  • Maxine Horne – Vita Group
  • Scott Hutchinson – Hutchinson Builders
  • Simon Kirkpatrick – Gateway Motorways

Optus Business Platinum Award:  This category recognizes the outstanding overall winner.

Other LMBA sponsors include:  BDO, Channel 7, Epicure and Sirromet.

lmba.com.au

Indigenous startups supercharge success through LaunchVic

FOLLOWING the completion of the Barayamal Accelerator program, five Indigenous entrepreneurs will present their businesses at an investor pitch event – the Barayamal Demo Day and Awards – at the Victorian Innovation Hub in Melbourne on October 25.

Assisted by LaunchVic – the state’s startup agency – this national event will bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to showcase some of the best Indigenous entrepreneurs in Australia. Organisers said the event would show the world that Indigenous entrepreneurs exist – like the black swans described by the Indigenous Barayamal name – and they can also build successful businesses.

Five innovative Indigenous businesses were selected for the Barayamal Accelerator, which provided free co-working space at the Victorian Innovation Hub, mentoring and training from industry experts, along with financial support for the growth of their companies.

“The Indigenous entrepreneurs have grown their businesses and will now showcase their successes at the culminating demo pitch night, which is now open to the general public to register to attend with over 100 attendees  including investors, professionals, community and government representatives expected to attend,” Barayamal CEO Dean Foley said. 

One of those successful businesses featured is Binary Security, which has already received enquiries for partnerships from Australasian and South East Asian countries.

“I feel that indigenous business in Australia is set to explode onto the world stage and being part of it is both incredibly exciting and humbling,” Binary Security director Stewart Stacey said.

Mr Stacey said through the Barayamal Accelerator program the participants had learned the importance of embedding Indigenous culture into their businesses. One of the outcomes for Binary Security was the opportunity to engage with a second national enterprise customer for cyber consulting services.

As part of the Accelerator program, the business had also deployed its first proof of concept (POC) for digital product into an enterprise customer of 1,100 users.

“We have received enquiries for partnerships in Fiji, New Zealand, China, Indonesia and the Philippines,” Mr Stacey said. And the company has now opened a new office.

Other participant in the Barayamal Accelerator program were Pawa Catering and Events owner and operator, Niyoka Bundle; Pearlii CEO Kyle Turner; Our Songlines director and CEO, Kayla Cartledge; and Ngali founder, Denni Francisco.

INDIGENOUS STARTUPS LAUNCH

Barayamal CEO Dean Foley said an accelerator program typically helps startups to gain access to business networks, knowledge, expertise and early-stage funding they need to build successful businesses. 

Mr Foley said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs can make a valuable contribution to this momentum towards innovation if they build and grow companies with a global impact.

“The Barayamal Accelerator wants to help Indigenous entrepreneurs achieve just that,” Mr Foley said.

“At Barayamal, we believe that entrepreneurship and technology can change the world for the better. We do this by building technology solutions, running business accelerator programs, free events, the Indigipreneur podcast, school-based education and by investing time and funding Indigenous startups, which are the high-growth economic and employment solution.”

Mr Foley also acknowledged the support Barayamal receives from LaunchVic.

This program is an initiative of Tharamba Bugheen, the Victorian Aboriginal Business Strategy 2017-2021, released by the Victorian Government in March 2017. Tharamba Bugheen recognises that economic advancement of Aboriginal Victorians is critical for self-determination and is making significant investments to support this agenda.

“LaunchVic is thrilled to be supporting indigenous entrepreneurs through the Barayamal Accelerator Program,” LaunchVic  CEO Kate Dornick said.

“We wish the five startups who participated in the inaugural cohort the all very best at their upcoming Demo Day and are looking forward to watching them succeed, as we follow their startup journeys.”

Mr Foley said Barayamal means ‘Black Swan’ in the Gamilaraay language. Its significance is that black swans were first seen by Europeans in 1697 but, before that, Europeans had only known of a white swan.

“In this instance, the black swan represents Indigenous entrepreneurs who have not been noticed in the world for their innovation,” Mr Foley said. “Barayamal plans to show the world that Indigenous entrepreneurs exist and they can also build global businesses.”

www.barayamal.com

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Right, said Fred: Ten years on, Finder is a $1billion global juggernaut

By Leon Gettler >>

AFTER starting business just 10 years ago, Fred Schebesta is now in charge of a $1 billion global enterprise.

Finder.com is a global phenomenon as a comparison website.

“We’re obsessed about helping customers make better decisions,” Finder co-founder Mr Schebesta told Talking Business.

“We help people learn and solve their problems on the site and go on to make great decisions because decisions at the end of the day help you better your life and get you into a better situation so that you can go on and do the things you want to do.”

At its core, Finder.com offers lots of tables and comparisons on the website. This means customers can compare credit cards, mortgages, insurance, personal loans, broadband offerings and mobile phone plans. 

The site offers hundreds of different things people can compare to get the best possible deal and it’s all free.

A GOOD IDEA GOES GLOBAL

The company has now turned itself into a global business.

“We started here in Sydney Australia and we’ve slowly but surely grown,’’ Mr Schebesta said. “We now have offices in the US and the UK. We also market to the rest of the world – Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand, and we’re really pushing on our vision bettering all the world’s decisions.”

Mr Schebesta has also set up a venture capital arm for the business, Finder Ventures, which invests in new businesses.

One of these new businesses is the crypto currency brokerage Hive X. It is also moving into the ‘fin-tech’ space.

His advice for other start-ups wanting to expand is to think global.

“I think that it’s really important if you want to build a global business that you need to get out of Australia,” Mr Schebesta said.

“Australia doesn’t have the same dynamics as the rest of the world. It’s actually a bit of an island, it’s a small place on the earth. And it has similar systems to the UK.

“When you go to other countries and you realise the state of things and the innovations that are taking place and the cadence of the majority of the population, you’ll find it’s very different to what’s happening in Australia.

“The second thing I would do is ensure your business is robust and scalable and tested in a small way. So do it small first and start to build on it and then once you find some success, you go from there,” he said. 

“A lot of people go for a big bang but that’s not really my style. My style is a consistent, considered approach and hen when we find success, we invest big. 

“That’s what we did in the US and the UK. We put a lot of money into those businesses.

“We want to make the first global comparison service.”

www.finder.com

www.leongettler.com

Hear the complete interview and catch up with other topical business news on Leon Gettler’s Talking Business podcast, released every Friday at www.acast.com/talkingbusiness.  

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Tamara Loehr helps brands grow through ‘sweat equity’

By Leon Gettler >>

STRUGGLING businesses looking for assistance can expect to get some ‘sweat equity’ from Tamara Loehr.

Ms Loehr has delved into the world of investment with a current focus on her online beauty-disrupter, Dollar Beauty Tribe, designed to promote cruelty-free, vegan indie brands. Ms Loehr has become globally known as a leading wellness entrepreneur.

What she does is she goes out into the world looking for businesses need what she calls ‘sweat equity’.

Her businesses include hair care, a health range, and vitamins. She also looks for businesses she can invest in and grow through her ‘sweat equity’ model, which sees her investing her marketing services, instead of money.

“There’s a real gap in the market, there’s a lot of small businesses that need help with their business,” Ms Loehr told Talking Business.

“They’re not going to get access to capital unless they have a business that’s usually over $10 million, preferably around the $20 million mark because that’s less risky for investors. 

“But before that, they often need a lot of help so that’s where I come in, I fill that gap. I come in where they might be struggling.”

‘SMARTS’ BETTER THAN CAPITAL

Ms Loehr said for a lot of small business, capital was not the best thing they need from angel investors – it’s business ‘smarts’ – as many of them spend that money figuring out the lessons more experienced businesses have already learned.

This is where Ms Loehr, who had an agency for 20 years before she turned investor, comes in and – if she sees the business has a great product but is really struggling with the market and struggling with the dollars to create marketing campaigns – she will take equity in exchange for marketing.

This is something a new business would not ordinarily be able to afford with her agency, and she gets them to their key milestones – which is, primarily, how much revenue they want to achieve.

The businesses she chooses are usually product-based operations in the wellness sector. Her mandate is vegan, organic and cruelty-free.

VALUE INVALUABLE

The business is valued with due diligence, assessed, and priced as if it was being sold in the real market or raising capital. Ms Loehr provides her equity to the business in services.

So if, for example, the business is valued at $200,000 and she takes 50 percent, she will give that business $100,000 worth of marketing. Ms Loehr then has to get them to a certain agreed target to take that 50 percent. If they don’t reach that target, she gives them back their equity.

A timeline is put in place, and that is critical.

“That’s really good for me because if, in 12 months, I have given them four or five hundred thousand dollars of free marketing time and agency time, and a little bit of capital, if that doesn’t work in 12 months, and I’m not hitting those targets, I believe in failing quickly, I’ll pull out,” Ms Loehr said. 

“Because at the end of the day, if that business isn’t reaching those targets, that business isn’t one I would want to be on the bus of. So fail quickly, give them back their equity and move on to the next project.”

Then again, as she says, that hasn’t happened too often.

www.loehrblend.com

www.leongettler.com

Hear the complete interview and catch up with other topical business news on Leon Gettler’s Talking Business podcast, released every Friday at www.acast.com/talkingbusiness.  

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