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The Hive » Podcast Feed

Summary: The Hive is a monthly entrepreneurial networking event that runs in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. You can subscribe and find more details at www.thehive.org.au

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Podcasts:

 Robin Goldberg from Blurb | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:34:10

Who: Robin Goldberg of Blurb When: 7pm, Wednesday 20 October Where: The Order of Melbourne, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne RSVP: melbourne@thehive.com.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Robin can’t stop beaming when reflecting on the amazing array of books created by Blurb’s creative customers. Blurb’s on-demand publishing platform enables anyone to design, share, market, and sell bookstore-quality books. Over the past three years, Robin has been part of the executive team drivingBlurb’s growth – building to over $45 million in revenue in 2009 by shipping over 1.2 million books to more than sixty countries. As SVP International Markets, she looks after the expansion and momentum outside the U.S. recognizing the importance of Blurb’s global audience. Experience in book publishing, travel, photography, technology and marketing have all been great background to bring to Blurb. Prior to joining, Robin spent four years traveling the world as SVP Global Marketing for Lonely Planet. And, prior to that Robin held several key marketing roles in technology as well as consumer brand companies such as Nestle, Clorox and ClickAction. Robin obtained her MBA at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her BS at the University of California, Berkeley. Come and hear Robin tell her story and lessons she has learned along the way. Sponsors www.smsglobal.com.au

 Anne-Marie Birkill from OneVentures | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:35:49

Who: Anne-Marie from OneVentures When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday September 28th 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 6 Grey Street South Bank, BRISBANE (Google Maps link) RSVP:  brisbane@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook Event. Cost: FREE! Anne-Marie Birkill from OneVentures Anne-Marie is a General Partner in OneVentures, a $40 million venture capital fund backing innovative companies with global relevance in CleanTech, IT&T /New Media and Life Sciences. She is also a non-executive director for RedFlow Technologies Ltd – a company developing and manufacturing high performance zinc bromine battery systems. A champion for entrepreneurs and an active member of the innovation community, Anne-Marie is also Director of the John Heine Entrepreneurial Challenge, a member of the UQ Business School Industry Advisory Board, Chair of the QUT Faculty of Science and Technology Industry Advisory Committee, a member of the ICT Industry Ministerial Advisory Group, and a judge for the UQ Enterprize competition. In partnership with Professor Sharon Bell Anne-Marie delivers the UQ Business School Women in Research Leadership corporate education course. She was previously CEO of i.lab Incubator Pty Ltd, a $10 million Queensland Government initiative providing space, skills and business development support and mentoring to up to 30 early stage, technology based companies; immediate past-President of the Women in Technology group; spent five years in the senior management team at The University of Queensland’s main commercialisation company, UniQuest and 15 years in leadership roles in private sector plant breeding and micro-propagation companies. Anne-Marie has an excellent understanding, and experience of the opportunities and challenges facing industry, government and universities and has demonstrated the ability to lead and work in teams in each sector. With extensive expertise and experience in technology commercialisation, Anne-Marie’s skills include strategic planning, corporate governance, risk management, product development, capital raising, intellectual property management, sales, marketing and market research. * Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au & Become a Fan of The Hive Brisbane on Facebook * See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag.

 Eloise Monaghan from Honey Birdette | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:43:05

Who: Eloise Monaghan from Honey Birdette When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday August 31st 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 6 Grey Street South Bank, BRISBANE (Google Maps link) RSVP: Attend This Event. Cost: FREE! Eloise Monaghan from Honey Birdette Founder and owner of Honey Birdette ‘Sensuality Boutiques’ – www.honeybirdette.com.au Eloise is the founder and co-owner of Honey Birdette “sensuality boutiques”, up-market adult stores for women. Honey Birdette was founded in 2006 by friends Eloise and Janelle. The pair met while both working in the United Kingdom and discovered they had a mutual interest in the lingerie available in European high streets. It wasn’t until Monaghan, had returned to Australia and went shopping for a friend’s hen’s night that the idea for Honey Birdette began to grow. Tired of not being able to find provocative lingerie and luxury bedroom toys they set out to inject a sense of sensuality into the Australian bedroom. With their lingerie inspired packaging and suggestively named products, Honey Birdette boutiques are flirty, playful and unapologetically sensual. What began as a one off boutique in West End has become a multi-store chain for two Brisbane businesswomen. With 3 stores in Brisbane, Honey Birdette is set to open two more stores later this year as part of a plan to grow the business’s nationally. Eloise is also working on Honey Birdette’s own lingerie label  that will hit the shelves this month. Far from having a background in the adult industry, Eloise started in marketing, and made the jump to entrepreneur when she realised how far the Australian market was lagging behind the UK and how good the opportunity was to start her own store. A well known Brisbane entrepreneur, Eloise is a stand out example of someone who has taken a good idea and adapted it to a new market, persevering and putting in the hard work to make it a success. * Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au & Become a Fan of The Hive Brisbane on Facebook * See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag.

 Hatem Saleh from Atlantic Group V | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:48:40

Who: Hatem Saleh of Atlantic Group V When: 7pm, Tuesday July 27th, 2010 Where: The Order of Melbourne, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne RSVP: melbourne@thehive.com.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Hatem Saleh of Atlantic Group V A restaurateur-turned-businessman with true entrepreneurial flair, Managing Director of the Atlantic Group [v], Hatem Saleh’s  drive to succeed was evident even during his teenage years. Hatem soon went into his business venture opening a seafood restaurant called Atlantic in St Kilda. At around about the same time Hatem noticed there was a gap in the market for event spaces catering for 500+ people. With the then derelict Shed 7 becoming available at South Wharf, Atlantic (the event space) was born in 1999 followed by Sumac (a smaller intimate event space) and Alumbra (a waterside bar and nightclub) in Shed 6 2002. In July 2006, the State Government announced plans to redevelop South Wharf. At the same time, Hatem’s Atlantic Group won a highly competitive tender to redevelop Central Pier and as such the Atlantic Group [v] relocated existing businesses Atlantic, Sumac and Alumbra plus introduced Peninsula and Sketch as new venues. In 2008 Hatem was a finalist in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Since  Atlantic Group [v]  won 9 prestigious awards- the City of Melbourne’s Melbourne Awards, Restaurant and Catering Associations’ Best Overall National  Caterer and Telstra’s State and National Business awards. Today Hatem’s entrepreneurial vision has seen Atlantic Group [v] extend its brand, launching an outside catering arm Atlantic On Site plus has successfully developed a new restaurant brand- The Atlantic- which will see the company’s return to the superlative restaurant game  when the seafood restaurant opens at Crown Entertainment precinct in January 2011. Sponsors www.smsglobal.com.au

 Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg from Mana Bar | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:23:55

Who: Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg from Mana Bar When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday July 27th, 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 7/166 Grey Street South Bank, BRISBANE (Google Maps link) RSVP: brisbane@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg Creator and owner of the Mana Bar – http://www.ManaBar.com.au/ The first cocktail and console video game bar in the world – Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg has managed to bring his passion for drinking and playing video games out of the lounge room and into the public conscious. Makes sense now, but the creation of the Mana Bar is an epic tale of hopes, dreams, conflict, romance, danger, and entrepreneurship. Not just the pretty face of the Mana Bar however, ‘Yug’ has been a graphic designer for the better part of a decade – working his way up from the depths of the adult industry to the suit & tie respectability as a Creative Director, and everything in between. He also created and operates one of the largest independent video game websites in Australia – www.AustralianGamer.com, and has been through the highs and lows of bringing a video game network TV show to life – www.GameDamage.net. Respected as a gaming journalist, acknowledged as an accomplished graphic designer, embraced as a champion for the local game development industry, and unanimously toasted for his crazy ideas that somehow become reality – he guarantees at the very least some entertaining stories and will shout you a drink at his bar! * Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au & Become a Fan of The Hive Brisbane on Facebook * See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag.

 Nat Duncan from QLD Film Locations | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:28:39

Who: Nat Duncan from QLD Film Locations When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday June 29th, 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 7/166 Grey Street South Bank, BRISBANE (Google Maps link) RSVP: brisbane@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Nat Duncan from QLD Film Locations Nat Duncan started her own film locations company in 2006. With little knowledge of the film industry but a strong desire to test her abilities and “jump off the deep end” she has managed to develop a strong company with an impressive database.  Queensland Film Locations services overseas, interstate and local production companies. Nat is very interested in young entrepreneurs and the approach they take in business and digital life.  She recently co-managed Upload – Young Entrepreneurs Camp in January andJuly 2009 and January 2010. Blog: QLD Locations Project: Precinkt Twitter: @NatDuncan Web: www.qldfilmlocations.com.au * Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au & Become a Fan of The Hive Brisbane on Facebook * See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag.

 Jarrod Briffa from Kinfolk Cafe | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:34:57

Who: Asuka and Jarrod founders of Kinfolk Cafe When: 7pm, Tuesday June 22nd, 2010 Where: The Order of Melbourne, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne RSVP: melbourne@thehive.com.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Asuka and Jarrod founder of Kinfolk Kinfolk is Melbourne’s latest and most exciting social enterprise project. Kinfolk operates as a premium café, serving quality espresso and fresh, healthy produce, all the while redirecting its profits to various worthwhile international and local development projects. Kinfolk’s mission is to be an avenue for city-goers to seamlessly integrate ethical consumption into their daily purchasing, as they are given the opportunity to decide where their monies will be directed and furthermore, presented with a selection of high-quality products that maintain a responsible relationship to the supply chain. This is a café environment where consumption is intrinsically linked to contribution & giving, not just receiving. Jarrod Briffa has been working in a range of social projects after graduating from RMIT’s entrepreneurship program. After being involved with YGAP he is now the co-founder of the Kinfolk cafe. Sponsors www.smsglobal.com.au

 Yaro Starak from Entrepreneurs-Journey.com | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:43:06

Who: Yaro Starak from Entrepreneurs-Journey.com When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday May 25th, 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 7/166 Grey Street South Bank, BRISBANE *New Venue!* (Google Maps link) RSVP: brisbane@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Yaro Starak from Entrepreneurs-Journey.com Yaro Starak is a professional blogger, best known for www.Entrepreneurs-Journey.com, a blog that teaches people how to start a successful Internet business, read by over 90,000 subscribers. A true entrepreneur, in the last ten years Yaro’s started an English school, an online proofreading business, bought and sold websites for profit and consulted on Internet businesses. Today, Yaro is focused on his passion – blogging.  He consistently earns over $20,000 per month from his blog and coaches others how to earn a living from blogging. Yaro spent 8 months of 2008 traveling around the world, visiting 25 different cities including London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Dubai and Singapore, all the while writing to his blog from each city and running his business. Yaro truly lives the 2-hour work day lifestyle, with ample freedom to enjoy life while making a well above average income thanks to the Internet. * Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au & Become a Fan of The Hive Brisbane on Facebook * See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag.

 Franz Madlener from Villa and Hut | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:38:45

Who: Franz Madlener founder of Villa and Hut When: 7pm, Tuesday May 11th, 2010 Where: NEW VENUE – Collins Quarter, 86a Collins Street, Melbourne RSVP: melbourne@thehive.com.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Franz Madlener founder of Villa and Hut Franz Madlener owned his first retail store at the age of 18 and built it up into a small chain of stores specialising in surf and denim before accepting a buy-out. Franz went on to work for the Australian Retailers Association as their Senior Retail Consultant, working with clients such as British American Tobacco, Giants Liquor, and The Federal Governments’ Business Development Forum. In 1999, Franz invested just $12,000 to buy a container of handcrafted furniture from Java, and Villa & Hut was born. By 2001, the business had gone global with stores in the UK under a licensing structure, and by 2003, Villa & Hut’s ‘Kafe’ branded restaurants opened, using the same Global theme offering live music and food. By 2008, 30 Villa & Hut stores had opened around the planet such that annual turnover of the brand is exceeded $20 million, with over 3000 people directly or indirectly employed by the brand. In 2007 Franz was nominated as a finalist in the prestigious Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, and his Brand recognized by BRW magazine as one of Australia’s fastest growing companies, as well as one of Australia’s top rated Franchise brands on the BRW Fast Franchise list. His Villa & Hut brand has also been awarded as a finalist in the smartcompany.com top 50 businesses 3 years in a row, and named as one of Australia’s Coolest Businesses in the Anthill top 50 Cool Company Awards. A Smart Fast & Cool Upstart Entrepreneur! In May 2009, Allied Brands Ltd, one of Australia’s leading retail public companies & specialty franchise organizations took notice, and by June 2009 the Villa & Hut Brand was acquired by Allied Brands, with Franz staying on as Chief Executive Officer of the Villa & Hut Group. Sponsors www.smsglobal.com.au

 Lenard Poulter from Lenards | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:40:15

Who: Lenard Poulter founder of Lenards When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday April 27th, 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 7/166 Grey Street South Bank, BRISBANE *New Venue!* RSVP: brisbane@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Lenard Poulter founder of Lenards With 191 franchised stores in his back pocket, a reputation as one of the country’s foremost lateral thinkers and an insatiable passion for all things gastronomic, Lenard Poulter appears to have the world on a string. As founder of the hugely successful Lenard’s franchise, Australia’s leading retailer has found a niche in the highly competitive fresh food market that satisfies the needs of today’s time short consumer. Lenard’s extensive range of pre-prepared, value-added meals and the “easyliving” pre-cooked range seems to have a taste for everyone. With more than 35 years experience in the industry, Len continues to direct his knowledge and hands-on retailing skills toward ensuring the future growth and direction of his company. With Lenard’s now extensively positioning itself inside supermarkets and expanding at a rapid rate through Australia, Len constantly pursues his vision of “more Lenard’s chicken on more tables, every day.” Len’s next major challenge is to expand the franchise into other lucrative overseas markets and to constantly look at any avenues that may better distribute the Lenard’s product and brand to a wider audience of consumers. Above all else, Len is extremely passionate; passionate about his business, about experiencing the pleasures of good food and wine, about football and his beloved Brisbane Lions, in fact about all things Australian in general. Really you’d be hard pressed to find anyone more passionate about life. * Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au & Become a Fan of The Hive Brisbane on Facebook * See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag.

 Steve Sammartino from Rentoid | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:43:49

Who: Steve Sammartino founder of Rentoid When: 7pm, Tuesday April 20th, 2010 Where: The Order of Melbourne, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne RSVP: melbourne@thehive.com.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Steve Sammartino founder of Rentoid After working in consumer goods marketing for 15 years Steve Sammartino created rentoid.com in 2007. A peer to peer rental website where people can rent items to and from each other. Being the first website of it’s type Steve gained alot of coverage quickly after the launch. With zero tech skills Steve managed to bootstrap the business with a tiny budget, learn on the job and used his marketing skills to get free prime time features in TV shows like A Current Affair. (no he wasn’t running from the camera!) Rentoid now has more than $50 million worth of items for rent. Items range from the humble lawn mower to uber luxury private jets. Steve is the anti-geek and he says most of his on line success has resulted from what he does off line, busting the myth that we need to be stroking at a keyboard 24 hours a day. This resulted in numerous business model changes and the largest part of rentoid success has been working within the rental industry and bringing independent operators on line. Steve will share with us the off line methods to succeeding on line. In addition to rentoid, Steve lectures Marketing at Melbourne Uni, blogs on startups (70,000 readers a month www.startupblog.wordpress.com) and he runs a once annual startup school – www.startupschool.com.au For more information on rentoid visit www.rentoid.com. Sponsors www.smsglobal.com.au

 Tom Potter from Eagle Boys Pizza | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:55:18

Who: Tom Potter founder of Eagle Boys Pizza When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday March 30th, 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 7/166 Grey Street (Little Stanley Street) South Bank, BRISBANE *New Venue!* RSVP: brisbane@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! Tom Potter founder of Eagle Boys Pizza Tom Potter, founder of Australian owned Eagle Boys Pizza, left school at 15 and found himself jobless at 23. He opened his first pizza shop in Albury, New South Wales in 1987 and proceeded to build the business to become Australia and New Zealand’s largest privately owned pizza company. Tom is a country boy, starting his business with a minimal education and very little money behind him. Tom built Eagle Boys to become one of Australia’s home-grown retail and franchise successes, through radical change, innovation and at times unusual business and marketing tactics. Along the way, Eagle Boys won various National Franchising Awards and Tom was awarded with the Australian Financial Review’s Young Business Person of the Year. He was chosen to give the valedictorian speech at his graduation class at Harvard Business School. Tom is one of Australia’s most outstanding retailers, entrepreneurs and inspirational leaders and his straightforward, no nonsense approach endears audiences to be inspired to change and cut through the clutter to achieve higher results at all levels. Tom’s website is: www.tompotterspeaker.com We invite you to join Tom and The Hive team at our March event at Greystone Bar (Little Stanley Street- South Bank) on Tuesday, March 30 at 7pm (Sharp!). This event is FREE but you buy your own drinks. * Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au * See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag.

 Michelle Matthews from the Deck of Secrets | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:31:18

Who: Michelle Matthews from The Deck Of Secrets When: 7pm, Tuesday February 23rd 2010 Where: Emerald Peacock, 233 Lonsdale St, RSVP: melbourne@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! In 2003 Michelle Matthews created Bar Secrets Melbourne a guide to find the hidden bars in the CBD. The guide sold out three times in the first six months and has gone on to sell well over 100,000 copies. There are currently 26 titles in the series spanning the US, Europe, UK, Asia and home. The deceptively simple product is the result of many good, bad and fun things learned along the way producing the Shopping Secrets book series, the short lived, but much loved A7 magazine and playing cards, the game of 500 to be specific. More recently Michelle teamed up with Shaun Ervine, a local developer who taught himself the iPhone app language faster than most. Together they developed and released DRINK. Melbourne the iPhone app version of Bar Secrets Melbourne within the first five months of the app store opening putting it in the first 10,000 apps to come online. Apple has worked with Deck of Secrets to promote the iPhone through the apps and as such they have appeared in print and TV commercials. For more information on Deck of Secrets visit www.deckofsecrets.com. If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveMelb hashtag. We would like to thank our national sponsors: Deloitte Digital http://www.deloittedigital.com RMIT University http://www.rmit.edu.au

 Fedele Crisci from Sit Down Comedy Club | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:48:20

Who: Fedele Crisci from The Sit Down Comedy Club When: 7pm SHARP, Tuesday February 23rd 2010 Where: Greystone Bar, 7/166 Grey Street (Little Stanley Street) South Bank, BRISBANE RSVP: brisbane@thehive.org.au or on the Facebook event. Cost: FREE! The Sit Down Comedy Club Founded Comedy Club with Business Partners at age 21 Now boasts 20+ venues QLD wide including 3 PNO Oceanliners Attracts headline acts from around the globe At the young age of 21, Fedele Crisci and his business partners founded the Sit Down Comedy Club at Snug Harbour – Dockside Bar & Restaurant, which was begun in an effort to provide alternative entertainment mid-week for a six-week trial, however it proved so successful, it never stopped! The Sit Down Comedy Club opened in 1992 and was produced as a Thursday night show by entertainment producers and friends Fedele Crisci, Roger Beames, Jenni Kubler and Tony Auckland. The Sit Down Comedy Club relocated in July 2000 to a larger venue – McGuire’s Paddo Tavern, where it continues to produce high quality comedy shows. Fedele, Kelli, Anj & Roger 20 years later, Fedele Crisci and his only remaining founding partner, Rodger, now manage over 20 comedy venues around Queensland including 3 permanent shows on PNO Ocean liners. From a young age Fedele had the entrepreneurial spirit and knew that if he wanted something he had to go out and get it. Starting work at a local Paddington deli at age 12, Fedele, grew to be the first manager of the iconic LA Dolce Vita Restaurant on Park Rd at Milton. Working the hospitality industry was his life outside of university, where he studied degrees in Maths, Drama and Teaching. The Sit Down Comedy Club presents a new show every week with Local, National and International performers that have featured on Radio or Television. Some of the acts that have graced the Sit Down Comedy stage are Carl Baron, Dave Hughs, Jimoein, Judith Lucy, Mick Molloy, Wil Anderson and many more. We invite you to join Fedele and The Hive team at our February event at Greystone Bar (Little Stanley Street- South Bank) on Tuesday, February 23 at 7pm (Sharp!). This event is FREE but you buy your own drinks. *Register Free at http://www.thehive.org.au See you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you follow @TheHive & tweet using the #HiveBris hashtag. We would like to thank our national sponsors: Deloitte Digital http://www.deloittedigital.com RMIT University http://www.rmit.edu.au You can watch the podcast of the event here

 John O’Brien from PoolWerx | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 0:38:00

Who: John O’Brien, founder of PoolWerx When: 7pm, November 24th 2009 Where: Star Cafe Bar, 166 Grey St (Little Stanley St) South Bank, BRISBANE RSVP: brisbane@thehive.org.au or RSVP through the Facebook Event. PoolWerx – Pool & Spa Care* An Icon of Australian Franchising * Australian Franchisee of the Year, Master Franchisee of the Year and Fanchisor of the Year on two occasions * PoolWerx is a franchise system of over 300 frachisees across Australia & New Zealand John OÕBrien is an icon in Australian franchising and has contributed greatly to the growth of the sector. He is also a globally acknowledged business leader with unique insights into small business, entrepreneurialism, strategy, business development, systems and winning through people. OÕBrien has been awarded Australian Franchisee of the Year, Master Franchisee of the Year and Franchisor of the Year on two occasions. He built five successful franchise systems before founding PoolWerx in 1992. Today PoolWerx is a franchise system of over 300 franchisees across Australia and New Zealand providing pool and spa care through a retail and mobile service network. All of his learning over 25 years has been applied to this system, intensively and without compromise. Yet the key sits at the corporationÕs outset, when OÕBrien identified the swimming pool and spa aftermarket as a fragmented growth industry, perfectly suited to a franchised business model. A model with fertile ground globally and with minimal organised competition. OÕBrien surrounded this opportunity with a structure then unique in Australian franchising and very possibly internationally Ð a staged business growth model with multiple entry points. Since its inception the model has been underpinned by a phenomenal investment of time, talent and money in very specific areas, which make the concept Ôtoo hardÕ for competitors to mimic. O’Brien remains an advisor to the Australian Government on franchise matters. We invite you to join John and The Hive team at our November event at the Star Cafe Bar (Little Stanley Street- South Bank) on Tuesday, November 24 at 7pm (Sharp!). This event is FREE but you buy your own drinks. The Hive is FREE – just buy yourself a drink at the bar This event is made possible by our wonderful sponsors: Star Cafe Bar – Breakfast, Lunch or Night time fun www.starcafebar.com.au Clovely Estate – Finely Crafted Wines www.clovely.com.au Looking forward to seeing you there! Mike Boyd, Nick McIntosh & Walter Haas The Hive Brisbane Team If you’re on Twitter make sure you tweet using the #hivebris hashtag.

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