Aussie music duo Peking Duk is on a mission with a classic French twist to show aspiring business owners across Australia and New Zealand that even the most ‘weird and wonderful’ ideas can be brought to life with the launch of a food truck – featuring snails.
Business management platform MYOB tasked Peking Duk musos Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles with helping the platform launch some inspiration into the gold mine of Australian untapped business potential and give it a nudge in the right direction.
The challenge to inspire budding entrepreneurs comes as MYOB releases findings from its 2023 MYOB Belief Barometer, which found the fear of failure is a key barrier when it comes to starting a business.
Approximately 42% of the 1,000 Australians surveyed confirmed they had a business idea that they never brought to life, with the research also finding that 76% of Aussies have had at least one business idea, but only 35% went on to start one.
The Peking Duk duo, who owned Melbourne bar Talk to Me from 2018 to 2020, will be calling on Australians to help them decide on a name for the escargot truck and what will be on the menu through the MYOB website.
Australians will be able to choose from classic French escargot with garlic and herb butter; escargot spaghettini with black truffle, butter emulsion, parsley and parmesan; and French brioche featuring escargot and slaw salad with black sesame dressing, coriander, chilli, cabbage and snow peas.
Hyde said MYOB challenged Peking Duk to come up with a wild business idea.
“We once brought a flamethrower for a gig so we had a pretty high benchmark to reach for a wild idea,” he said.
“Funnily enough, we were at kick-ons and noticed a snail crawling around, which triggered the lightbulb moment. A lot of business ideas start in a similar fashion at the pub when people are gasbagging with their mates.”
Styles said Peking Duk believes snails are the next big thing and they will absolutely take off as one of Australia’s favourite snacks.
“We took a big risk going into the music industry and starting Peking Duk. It’s been challenging at times, but it has genuinely been a dream come true and has taken us to some incredible places and experiences,” he said.
Newly appointed MYOB CEO Paul Robson said the MYOB Belief Barometer has shown there are so many Australians out there who have dreamt of starting a business, but fear of failure has stopped them from taking action.
“Peking Duk are a great success story about a duo who took a big risk to pursue their music dreams,” he said.
“We wanted to work with the guys to show that even the most wild ideas can come to life with the help of the right tools, in hope that budding entrepreneurs around the country will see this as a sign to kick-start their own venture.”
Robson said it’s wonderful to see the vast majority of Australians have had that business idea lightbulb moment.
“The fantasy of starting up a business doesn’t have to be limited to just dreams,” he said.
“Some of the most successful businesses in the world came from the most unlikely places and we want Australians to realise that with a little self-belief, they are capable of creating something great of their own.
“We want aspiring entrepreneurs to feel empowered to bring their own business ideas to life.
“With MYOB’s business management platform bringing together a suite of workflows, starting and running a business is easier than ever, meaning owners have more time to focus on doing what they love and went into business for in the first place.”
Robson added that it all starts with the idea.
“So we encourage any Aussies who have had those lightbulb moments to reflect and consider if they have potential,” he said.
“Australians are incredibly resilient and creative, making them great business owners and with a healthy amount of self-belief and the right supporting tools like MYOB, there are no limits to what’s possible.”
