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How I made it

How I Made It

Sponsored by Commbank

Inside the Rich List: How Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way. What’s the difference between you and a Rich Lister? Listen and see.

Hosted by

Julie-anne Sprague

Rich List editor

Julie-anne Sprague

Produced by

Lap Phan

Podcast Producer & Actor

Lap Phan

Listen now

Latest Episode

Alisdair Faulkner, who founded and sold ThreatMetrix, is now running cyber firm Darwinium.

He sold his firm for $1b, but believes the next can be 10 times bigger

Tech guru Alisdair Faulkner went from being a “crocodile country” coder to selling little-known ThreatMetrix for a landmark sum. He now has greater ambitions.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Declan Sherman went from Sydney  to New York to Brazil with Macquarie before starting his own business.

This ex-Macquarie banker toned up Brazil – and made a fortune

When Declan Sherman moved to the Latin American country with the investment bank, he was inspired to show the locals a new way to exercise.

  • Yolanda Redrup

August

Stake co-founder Matt Leibowitz.

This trader spotted a ‘really big gap’ – and made a fortune

Stake’s Matt Leibowitz loved his job as a derivatives trader, but when his friends started asking how to invest in US stocks, he saw an opportunity.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Gabriel Jakob in his office in Sydney.

This immigrant quietly made $550m. He has tips for making $1b

Gabriel Jakob is one of the most successful Australian entrepreneurs you’ve probably never heard of. Now he’s telling his story, but not posing for a full photo.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Sam Kroonenburg shares his story on the How I Made It podcast.

The one thing this Rich Lister says every founder needs to remember

Sam Kroonenburg built a company from his bedroom, with him and his brother Ryan both making about $500 million. But Sam, 40, is doing what he can to avoid the trappings of wealth.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

July

How exquisite timing and meditating shaped this Rich Lister’s fortune

After deciding a career in law wasn’t for him, Kerry Harmanis turned to prospecting in WA. That decision led to the $3.1 billion sale of Jubilee Mines.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

Cars, boats and houses won’t make you happy, says this Rich Lister

Property developer Paul Blackburne landed on the Rich List with an estimated $536 million fortune. There’s a success trap entrepreneurs need to be mindful of, he says.

  • Julie-anne Sprague
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June

WiseTech co-founder Richard White.

The Rich Lister who avoids risk at all costs

Richard White wanted to be a rock ‘n’ roll star. He ended up developing software for companies in logistics and is now the 11th wealthiest person in Australia.

  • Julie-anne Sprague
Steph Claire Smith went from ‘another coat hanger on the books’ to Young Rich Lister.

A Young Rich Lister’s advice for founders wanting social media success

How a back-of-the-napkin plan put fitness star Steph Claire Smith on the Young Rich List.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

May

How a uni dropout went from Maccas to building a $100m company

Mark Woodland was expanding his education start-up before realising he’d overlooked a critical component for its success and he had to fix it.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

This former Young Rich Lister just spent $700k to alter his genes

Nick Bell’s first business failed, his next made him millions. The serial entrepreneur’s latest business venture involves helping people live longer.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

April

The homeschooled billionaire who built a fortune before turning 40

Shaun Bonett was the country’s richest person under 40 in 2007. Now a billionaire, he shares his story, including a humiliating $25 million mistake.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

December 2023

Rich Lister Sam Kennard took over the self-storage business when he was just 24.

How Sam Kennard built a $2.6b empire

The influential business figure always had ambition to work and grow the family company. But he didn’t expect his dad to give him total control when he was just 24 years of age.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

How Cathie Reid went from typing class to a $550m fortune

The Rich Lister originally wanted to be a typist. Instead, she became a pharmacist before she spotted a gap in the market and become an entrepreneur alongside husband Stuart Giles.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

November 2023

How I Made It with Kevin Gosschalk

Why this Young Rich Lister shuns Australian investors

“When you find something you really enjoy, sleeping really just gets in the way,” says Kevin Gosschalk, the Young Rich Lister behind Arkose Labs.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

How Mark Carnegie thumb-sucked his way off the Rich List

The entrepreneur and corporate adviser has had plenty of woulda, shoulda, coulda moments. One of them cost him about $100 million.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

October 2023

This school drop-out became a property magnate. Here’s how he did it

He was told he didn’t have the ‘capability’ to finish school. Now, Nigel Satterley has a $500 million empire that landed him on the Rich List.

  • Julie-anne Sprague
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This Rich Lister added $1b to his wealth in less than two years

Medical technology firm Pro Medicus has delivered blistering returns this year. Its success has propelled co-founder Sam Hupert into the $2 billion club.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

September 2023

Being an introvert helped set up this Young Rich Lister to make $1b

Alex Tomic didn’t find university challenging, so he quit. Now he’s worth $125 million and climbing, as the toothpaste-related company he formed with a childhood friend shines bright.

  • Julie-anne Sprague
Carolyn Creswell’s secret weapon is vanilla.

The checkout chick who created a $170m empire

Carolyn Creswell’s company dominates the supermarket shelves. But it didn’t start that way. In the early days, she had to come up clever ways to get ahead.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

May 2023

Gabrielle Manning rented out her home to help fund the creation of Manning Cartell.

‘Don’t care what other people think’: This founder’s key to success

Gabrielle Manning was climbing the ladder of a corporate career in the fashion industry until, in her early 30s, she and two of her sisters quit their jobs to go it alone.

  • Julie-anne Sprague
Bec Jefferd (seated) and Ava Chandler.

How Ultra Violette went from 3000 Insta followers to global brand

Bec Jefferd and Ava Chandler-Matthews worked together at Mecca before realising no-one was marketing the ultimate anti-ageing product: daily sunscreen.

  • Julie-anne Sprague

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