Job Capital began in 2006 when Burston pitched the idea to entrepreneur and investor Philip Weinman. She quit her job and took the business full-time.
The outsourced provider to recruitment companies is growing every year and Burston has also launched Big-Data to move into the SaaS market. Burston took the mission of “re-engineering the recruitment industry and their very dated processes” to prototype and then to a user pay model within the last 18 months.
Her latest project is what she calls her “true life purpose” and next business Rare Birds, which aims to be the channel between women entrepreneurs and the world. It will showcase “open, honest and awe-inspiring stories” from women at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey.
Kristina Karlsson founded Kikki K back in 2001 with an inspiration to create a stationery brand which would focus on clean design. Now, the business has dozens of locations across Australia, New Zealand and south-east Asia, and has even made it to the BRW Best Places to Work list in 2012. With big plans to expand across the globe, and a strong digital presence, Karlsson isn’t set to slow down just yet.
Garrard says: “I never do things by half, I’m always going full steam ahead, looking for opportunities and thinking about the best ways to move the business forward.”
While the busy mum with four children under nine is excited about the year ahead and entering new markets globally, she says that it has been “the most challenging year in business, I’ve been running businesses for over 20 years so that is saying a lot!”
The past couple of years have seen her buy out her business partner, restructure her Australian, US and China operations, implement new IT and accounting systems, establish a new branded distribution arm in the business and launch a global range of youth electronics and stationery products. You could say she’s been quite busy!
She was also named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Industry category which she explained as “a tremendously proud and surreal moment, I still get goosebumps thinking about it”. She is the youngest person ever to win this prestigious award.
Carla Zampatti started her fashion brand in the 1960s and the company has skyrocketed to success. The company distributes its product through David Jones and over 30 retail outlets.
Zampatti is a success outside the business, having been made a member of the Order of Australia in 1987. She was also awarded Australian Fashion Laureate in 2008, and has served on the boards of Westfield and McDonald’s Australia.
After a solid career in internet marketing, and alarmed by Australia’s slow uptake of online opportunities, Grace Chu decided to launch her own business when she was pregnant with her son in 2005.
“I knew that the internet was rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing marketing channels in history – and many Australian brands were simply not successful online players. I had no doubt that these brands just didn’t know how to be successful online. There weren’t many agencies providing quality services so I knew there was a big opportunity to enter the market,” Chu says.
“Since then, I’ve watched both my babies grow at rapid rates.”
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Cara Waters is a former SmartCompany editor. Previously, Cara was a senior reporter for the Financial Times’ website and worked for The Sunday Times in London.
