Sharing positive stories of rural businesses and communities.
Helenmary Macleod grew up on a farm and married a farmer but she always loved the idea of selling things to make people happy. Being regularly off farm, especially during cropping in summer, wasn’t an option but then came the idea for Skibo Australia.
Read MoreChange is constant and all rural towns need to be prepared to innovate and adapt. Or we could just do nothing and complain. The choice is ours to make.
Read MoreSpeaking about rural entrepreneurship at an event I was recently asked an interesting question: Are rural people more entrepreneurial than city people? Instead of being compelled to justify to my city counterparts that rural entrepreneurs are equally worthy of celebration, I was being asked to judge whether they are, in fact, more entrepreneurial.
Read MoreEver dreamed of starting a business? Suzanne Carroll of Gisborne in central Victoria woke up on the morning of 30 October 2015 and told her husband that she was going to start a business called Cool Clutch selling ‘cool by nature and cool by name’ handbags for women. And she did. True story!
Read MoreAs part of the Creative Innovation 2019 Asia Pacific Conference in Melbourne 1-3 April, Kerry Anderson’s mission was to remind everyone of the importance of our rural towns and share ideas on how we can all give our support regardless of where we live.
Read MoreManaging Director of Wine in a Glass (WIAG), Michelle Anderson-Sims, is the first to admit that starting a business from an idea is a long, hard learning process. ‘I had lots of failures along the way but learnt from them all. Some lessons you pay a higher price to learn than others,’ she says. This successful company has made its mark on the Australian wine and entertainment industries and is rapidly expanding throughout the world.
Read MoreWho said manufacturing is dead in Australia? While it can be challenging in a global marketplace and extended dry seasons, Grizzly Engineering is living proof that long term success is possible. Their ground-breaking technology is made in Swan Hill from start to finish and they survived the 2002-2010 drought years with a bold initiative.
Read MoreToni Barton of Lamb Bacon fame is fresh back from exploring new export market opportunities in Dubai. What she thought would be a simple name change has turned into a full rebranding with a suite of new products destined for the Middle East. She is also discovering how complex and costly preparing for export can be when it comes to a highly regulated food industry. But the biggest surprise of all was the celebrity status thrust upon her just for being an Australian lamb producer.
Read MoreWhat was a Kelpie’s prized lamb dinner turned into a winning product for Nulla Vale lamb farmer Toni Barton. This enterprising creator of Lamb Bacon displays all the attributes of a typical entrepreneur. Some would say she is driven. Ideas are explored, problems solved, and opportunities taken. At the core of it all is Toni’s deliberate life-choice, to trade in an international marketing career for that of a hands-on farmer producing good quality meat.
Read MoreAs home-based businesses gather traction with their online retailing, another need emerges when customers start to seek access to a physical store front. Solving a problem for one such rural online business has resulted in a great outcome for the small town of Quambatook in the southern Mallee of Victoria.
Read MoreLike many rural towns, Quambatook in the Southern Mallee of Victoria is enjoying a reinvigoration of its community thanks to new comers bringing new ideas and extra hands to reinforce businesses and volunteer groups.
Read MoreWhat a privilege it was to experience Quamby’s Silo Cinema on Saturday 9 February 2019. With 447 guests viewing the iconic Australian film The Merger, they can claim that their town doubled in size overnight. A win-win for their caravan park, pub and stores. Well done to all the volunteers involved. And special thanks to Laura O’Dwyer who allowed me to interview her at a very busy time.
Read MoreUsually it is the children that are encouraged to take on the family business, but in the case of Sunshine Iris Nursery near Lockhart in New South Wales, it was the opposite. What started as a logical step into the business world for agronomist trained Elissa Strong became problematic when she went back to study in 2017 leaving her mother Mandy to pick pack and post.
Read MoreWhether it is fair or not, sheep are often referred to in derogatory terms when it comes to their intelligence; usually when they break away from the mob and make the lives of their handlers a misery. Charlie Webb, decided to delve into the psychology of sheep so that his life as a farmer, and his woolly charges, is made much easier. The result is Back Up Charlie.
Read MoreNot many businesses can claim to have been instigated by a triple cake stacking canister, but this happens to be the case when it comes to Retro Respection, a quirky homeware, giftware and vintage lovers’ shop in Collie, Western Australia. Its two equally quirky business partners are an inspiration to all those young mums who may feel trapped at home.
Read MoreThere is something about a corrugated iron shed that attracts the eye. Iconic markers on our rural landscape, they serve so many purposes, everything from shearing to hay storage and mechanical works. Regardless of searing heat and bitter cold they are places of shelter and productivity. But what takes place within those spaces is changing as indicated by The Old Workshop Café at Anakie between Geelong and Ballan. When my eyes were drawn to an old shed with a vibrant new look about it, I couldn’t help but stop off to find out more.
Read MoreWhen do young people start learning? From the day they are born. So why do we buy them so much useless *crap* at Christmas time? Learning can be life changing and as simple as a book, a tool, or an experience that will help set them up with life-long skills.
Read More2018 is a big year for Brendan Murphy. Just 18 years of age and living in the tiny town of Allanson in southwest Western Australia, Brendan is midway through Year 12 at nearby Collie Senior High School … and he’s launched his first business!
Read MoreLooking back at how Bundarra Berkshires evolved Lauren Mathers defines it as ‘madness’ given that she has given birth to three children in the midst of becoming a free-range farmer and exemplifying the paddock to plate dream. Displaying the attributes of a true entrepreneur, it all started when she saw a problem that could be turned into an opportunity. And history keeps repeating itself.
Read MoreTwenty-five years ago, Dr Bruce Syme, a young veterinarian fresh out of university, developed a new raw food-based diet in response to the epidemic proportions of skin diseases and allergies presenting in cats and dogs. Determined to take a holistic approach he relocated his pet food business and set up his own practice in central Victoria. Today Vets All Natural products can be found on pet supply shelves in multiple countries.
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