Australia’s startup culture has been growing steadily in recent years, and while Sydney often gets the most kudos for ingenuity, there’s no shortage of startup business success stories in Melbourne.

If you’re wondering how to start a business of your own, take inspiration from these innovative companies formed right here in the Victorian capital.

Once you have established your small medium business in Melbourne and require innovative marketing solutions you can visit Yellow and one of our marketing specialists can give you a call and walk you through on what we can offer you to yield high return on investment for your advertising.

Redbubble

Founded in 2006, Redbubble is a global online marketplace that makes on-demand clothing, accessories, and homewares based on work by artists all over the world. The first e-commerce website of its kind in Australia, today Redbubble has over 450,000 artists worldwide with accounts on the site and 10 million site visits per month. According to CEO Martin Hosking, almost 7 million people have bought products from the site, earning $70 million for artists.

Hosking says the early days were “bloody brutal” but that he had faith in his business idea because it was the only business of its kind at the time. So, what can we learn from Redbubble’s success? If you truly believe in an idea, stick with it.

Carsales.com.au

Carsales.com.au is the biggest online automotive, motorcycle and marine classifieds business in Australia – but its beginnings were modest. In 1997, founder Greg Roebuck saw an opportunity when he noticed limitations of print ads in publications like the Trading Post. Roebuck wanted to digitise the same information, but back in those days, most car dealers weren’t connected to the web.

Roebuck and his team would go to car dealerships to collect the information, take pictures of cars, and plug the information into the computer for the dealers. They aimed to reach 3,000 car listings, which Roebuck says seemed like a lot at the time. Today? The company has about 230,000 cars listed at any one time.

Carsales.com.au’s success story goes to show that smart technology is crucial when it comes to building a successful business.

Bellabox

bellabox is the brainchild of twin sisters Sarah and Emily Hamilton who were based in Melbourne and Singapore respectively when they founded the business. They loved buying beauty products and looking good but were sick of the hassle of going to department stores every time they wanted to try out a new product.

In 2011, they created bellabox – a delivery subscription box containing samples and treats from international beauty brands, letting people experiment and try before they buy. The sisters launched with just one product, a purifying mask made with pink Australian clay. Today, they deliver at least five samples every month to over 40,000 subscribers.

bellabox’s success is a great lesson in how important it is to understand consumers’ needs and provide a convenient customer experience.

Upside Realty

Anyone who’s ever sold a property knows that it’s a lengthy, often-confusing, and costly process. CEO of Upside Realty, Adam Rigby, sought to change that by bringing transparency and affordability to the real estate market.

How do he and his team do it? They charge a flat fee, so clients know what they’re getting and how much they’ll need to pay from the get-go. By utilising smart technology they are able to maximise business efficiencies and keep sellers updated 24/7. Upside’s real estate agents are paid a salary with performance incentives based on factors like results and customer satisfaction, rather than just sale price, so they’re incentivised to provide clients with great service.

Since launching just under a year ago in Melbourne, Upside Realty has already started making waves in the real estate market and recently moved into the Sydney market with plans for further expansion. The key takeaway from Upside’s story is that innovation is crucial to establishing a competitive edge and a place in the market.

Alpha 60

Fashion label Alpha 60 was brought to life in 2005 by brother-sister duo Georgie and Alex Cleary as a result of a hobby of making t-shirts for friends. What started as a single store in Fitzroy eventually became a local mainstay and expanded to 11 stores across Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Auckland.

Georgie and Alex credit their success to staying “fiercely independent” and controlling their creative processes from a small creative studio in Collingwood. By selling direct-to-consumer, they also ensure their product is high quality but affordable.

There are also various small-medium business case studies and tips you can read from Business Victoria to help guide you on the journey to becoming business owner.

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