Author: Jesse McCarthy-Price
Published: February 19, 2017
They say it takes a whole village to raise a child. And in Esperance, when that child has grown, they usually pack their backs for Perth and leave town.
But recent years have seen an inspiring bunch of Esperance-grown kids choose to stay put or return home to pursue their business dreams. Strengthened by the rest of us - a community that believes in buying local - these motivated young people are growing their grassroots businesses and adding vibrance to the business community.
We spoke to a couple of Esperance’s young entrepreneurs to share their journeys and tips, and inspire you to perhaps even start a business of your own.
I saw it as a way to capture all the crazy moments that other people would otherwise overlook or never see. It was a way of documenting my adventures creatively, which excited me.
Instagram particularly, is a way I can display my new work, continue to document my adventures and access an infinite array of inspiring content! It’s also very important for making contacts and promoting my products.
In five years time I want to be doing surf and travel photography for a living, with my photos featuring in magazines. I plan to keep doing what I love for as long as I can.
I’ve always dreamed of having my own clothing line and in 2015/2016 I had a lot of time on my hands in between jobs. So I thought now is the time to give it a go, instead always hoping and regretting it later in life for not trying. So I just went for it.
I wouldn’t say there has been low points - just a lot of learning experiences. There has been a lot of highs on this journey but two that stand out to me was seeing my first design come to life and the launch of Brodeine & Deine. Seeing everyone respond in such a positive way to my designs was just amazing!
Right now I’m just looking forward to working on the next line, which will be released later this year. Learning more and continuing to grow.
To be honest, I wasn’t worried. I know the barbershop concept is an effective one and every town needs one. The response has been amazing, I’ve had some great support.
Very much so! Tiff Brown summed it up pretty well in the latest Tide magazine. Esperance is getting busier and busier every year with tourism and a few locals are stepping up to the plate. Seriously, name a better place to open a business!
Of course. We’re in a period of growth but we need more young enthusiasm to get the ball rolling faster. Take a risk, it’ll be bound to pay off.
There’s some really exciting stuff happening soon - sub letting half of my space in the coming month to some local legends and they’re setting the bar even higher. Watch this space!
About a year ago, just after I finished school, I found myself with heaps of spare time on my hands. I started off trying to put my favourite crystal on a pendant and I grew a huge interest for the hobby. I was getting a lot of encouragement from my friends so I decided to have a one-off market stall. After almost selling out of all my stock, I decided I wanted to go further.
I have taught myself everything I know [so] through the first six months of experimenting I did spend a lot of money on materials I did not need. I now put all my Kioo earning towards materials. It is important to me, when someone purchases my jewellery, that it is the best I could possibly do.
My top tip for people starting a business, is to stick to it. If you’re good at something you love doing, you’ve got nothing to lose!
