Business Leadership Masterclass: Real People Running Real Businesses
How do businesses change direction to match the market, look at opportunities as they arise and seize the initiative, deal with crisis (and even failure), then dust off the rough stuff and rise up through their experiences?
Our latest Masterclass saw our Seedlab Alumni join Ray Butcher for a series of conversations with real people who have proven success running small to medium sized businesses in Australia. We heard fascinating stories about the skills they use to solve the problems we all encounter on a daily basis and how they achieved the keys to their success.
Susie Daly (Daly Potato Co), Michael Burow (General Manager – New Business, Strategic Direction and Global Procurement, Favco), and Nick Diamantopoulos (Australian Garlic Producers CEO) shared their stories of triumph and real-world experience of overcoming the tricky parts of running a small to medium sized business in Australia and New Zealand.
Topics we covered included dealing with retailers, customers, freight companies, suppliers, and processors- and building a team around them that brings success and its rewards.
Here are a few words from our participants about what they took away from the latest Masterclass:
Our Masterclass Guests
Michael Burow, General Manager (New Business, Strategic Direction and Global Procurement) of Favco.
Michael Burow climbed from regional buyer to senior category manager during his 25 years at Woolworths, before becoming sales manager, and eventually CEO at Favco Fruit and Vegetables. Michael used his industry skills and business experience to take Favco from a local player to a national supplier and major exporter. Michael’s pearl of wisdom? Never give up!
“Don’t give up. Never give up. Persistence pays off. It’s hard to fail, but worse to never have tried in the first place.”
Susie Daly of Daly Potato Co. and Hellfire Bluff Distillery
Susie Daly has built her family potato farming business from the ground up (no pun intended!), and is ahead of her time with value-adding. Susie has a big aim (and an even bigger heart) to bring her family and community along on the journey with her. We were grateful to have Susie as one of our guests at our latest Masterclass, and she provided invaluable insider know-how to our participants. Her main piece of advice? Keep your eyes on the prize!
“Keep your blinkers on and go where you’re headed – don’t get distracted.”
Nick Diamantopoulos, CEO of Australian Garlic Producers
From industrial chemist, to brick maker for Darling Harbour, to garlic grower for Amway in India, to small scale farmer in Victoria with a dream to supply Australia year round with fresh garlic, Nick Diamantopulos’s story is inspiring. Nick is the world-renowned king of garlic, and took out the title of Woolworths Supplier of the Year. His internally funded business has grown from strength to strength- he now supplies Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi, and has recently entered the pharmaceutical market. A few sage words from Nick:
“When selling in your products to retailers, focus on selling to the retailer’s customers.”