Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/142338
smallbusiness Little legends Successful small-business owners chat to Mitch Brook about the trials and triumphs of running their own enterprises. Small businesses are some of the most important contributors to Australian society, but it's not always an easy run from start-up to success. Often the road to running a successful business is fraught with risk, and without good management and a healthy dose of luck, many small businesses take no more steps than their first fledgling stumbles. Sarah Robinson and Jason Wyatt are two entrepreneurs who've survived those first steps and are now in a sprint to success. Their respective businesses, Squid Productions and BikeExchange, are contributing much to their fields, and both Robinson and Wyatt are working on diversifying and expanding their enterprises. BikeExchange.com.au BikeExchange is an online destination for bike enthusiasts in Australia, launched by Jason Wyatt and Sam Salter in 2007. Through the site, bicycle retailers can sell products and direct potential customers to their physical stores, and private sellers can offer their own items for sale. "There were 1.1 million new bikes sold every year and only one million new cars sold each year, but no site that really catered for cyclists to buy new and used bikes and accessories," says Wyatt. The site's popularity grew quickly and now it averages a million visitors per month, with more than 55,000 items for sale from 400 retailers and thousands of private sellers. It wasn't all growth from the start, though; it was difficult for the pair of entrepreneurs to build their customer base and gain momentum. 36 "There's this juggling of priorities and making sure that you have the right balance between technical capabilities, a great sales structure and good customer service," says Jason of his experience with BikeExchange. "It's making sure that you manage your cash flow to get through those early years." Once the site had built a strong following, however, growth came quickly, and BikeExchange now holds a significant place in Australia's cycling industry. With such a solid base to grow from, Jason and Sam were confident about the next step and diversified, launching two new sites based on the same model: tinitrader.com.au for the baby and toddler market; and RenoExchange.com.au for the home improvement and renovation market. Recently, the pair also launched BikeExchange in New Zealand, and plan for their other sites to follow it over the Tasman in the near future. To other entrepreneurs looking for business tips, Jason says that first you need "to have a real passion and enthusiasm for what you do. If you treat it as a job, it's going to reward you like a job and the company is not going to prosper." Filling a place in the market and "being something to someone" follows on from there. Squid Productions Sarah Robinson was just 19 years old when she launched Squid Productions, her media-marketing and videography business. With a background in filming dolphins from the age of 14, she was well placed to adapt her skills to her own business.