Why we built this

I started Started Small in March 2026 because I kept having the same experience. I'd meet another Australian business owner, ask them how they got started, and hear something genuinely brilliant. A story of grit, of near-misses, of figuring it out without a playbook.

Then I'd think: nobody else is going to hear this.

Being a business owner yourself means you move in circles with other business owners. And the more of them I talked to, the more I realised how many incredible stories were just sitting there, unrecorded.

Not the unicorns. Not the tech startups raising millions. The everyday businesses. The tradie who built a team of 20 from a van and a phone. The retailer who nearly closed three times before finding what worked. The founder who bet everything on one decision and came out the other side.

These are the stories that actually teach you something. The ones that make you feel less alone when your own business gets hard. Started Small exists to put them somewhere people can find them.

One story at a time, written from real conversations with real founders.

Share your story

If you've built something and want to share how it happened, I'd love to talk. No pitch needed, just a good story.

Get in touch