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How I Made It

How I Made It

The Australian Financial Review 63 Episodes Aug 11, 2026

How I Made It is a podcast hosted by Lauren Sams and Yolanda Redrup that explores the journeys of Australia's top entrepreneurs. Each episode delves into how these business leaders built their fortunes and the lessons they learned along the way. The show offers insights into the challenges and successes of building a business in Australia.

Episodes

How this ex-Packer lawyer secured Australia’s biggest real estate deal
How this ex-Packer lawyer secured Australia’s biggest real estate deal Aug 11, 2026 2179 “Kerry Packer was one of the last greats,” says Craig Carracher, co-founder of The Living Company. As the media mogul's lawyer, Carracher spent five years observing his intuition, leadership and deal-making. Since embarking on his own entrepreneurial venture with business partner Stephen Gaitanos, Carracher has applied “the Kerry Packer factor” to his housing company. On th
How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company
How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company Aug 2, 2026 2115 Grace Brown had always enjoyed maths, science and music. Teamed with a “wild imagination”, her interest in patterns meant she was obsessed with all things magic.When she took on an engineering design subject in high school, everything became clear.“I wanted to spend the rest of my life working as an engineer because you could just imagine something and create it that didn't previ
Alex Vynokur bet the house to start Betashares. It now manages $75b
Alex Vynokur bet the house to start Betashares. It now manages $75b Jul 28, 2026 2059 The former lawyer walked away from a top-tier legal career to risk his house on an ETF venture. It’s now the country’s second-largest exchange-traded funds provider. "I was just totally convinced that you know I should just do it," says the Betashares founder. On the first episode of the new season of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams sits down with the chief executive to found out how h
Trailer: How I Made It returns July 29
Trailer: How I Made It returns July 29 Jul 22, 2026 57 How I Made It is back with host Lauren Sams.  Don’t miss season six as we uncover how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What working on David Bowie’s yacht taught Boost founder Janine Allis
What working on David Bowie’s yacht taught Boost founder Janine Allis Nov 23, 2025 1758 Growing up, Janine Allis never thought about starting her own business. “I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was,” she says. But after spotting a gap in the market, there was no stopping the founder of a now-global smoothie company that’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. On the final episode of season five of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds ou
‘It's the Mount Everest of careers’: How Fleet’s CEO built an $800m company
‘It's the Mount Everest of careers’: How Fleet’s CEO built an $800m company Nov 16, 2025 1997 Since she was a little girl, Flavia Tata Nardini was obsessed with space. The Italian-born rocket scientist began her career at the European Space Agency but moved to Adelaide in her 20s, where she found herself confronted with a lack of industry. Left with no other choice, she started her own business. On this week's episode of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how the CEO
A scam set WA’s fertiliser king on a path to a $5b fortune
A scam set WA’s fertiliser king on a path to a $5b fortune Nov 9, 2025 1754 Vikas Rambal came to Australia from India on a prospective business trip in 2000. But the project he was looking into was not what it seemed. It was a moment on his five-day trip that would prove to be pivotal. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how a scam and a chance encounter set about the Perdaman Group founder’s dream to build the co
How a former IBM executive redefined Australia’s restaurant scene
How a former IBM executive redefined Australia’s restaurant scene Nov 2, 2025 1336 Chris Lucas grew up in the world of hospitality, often spending time in his dad’s pub in Geelong. But it wasn’t until his mid-30s that one of the country’s top restaurateurs entered the industry himself. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams finds out how working at IBM as a sales and marketing executive inspired Lucas to become one of the biggest figure
He could’ve been Qantas CEO. Instead Bruce Buchanan started a $7.2b company
He could’ve been Qantas CEO. Instead Bruce Buchanan started a $7.2b company Oct 26, 2025 2127 Leading Australia’s largest airline is by all accounts a dream job.  But in 2012, Bruce Buchanan – who was on track to become chief executive of Qantas – walked away from the national carrier. He now runs one of the world’s hottest tech companies: $7.2 billion e-commerce marketing tech firm Rokt. This week on How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup pulls back th
Trinny Woodall, What Not To Wear and a multimillion-dollar company
Trinny Woodall, What Not To Wear and a multimillion-dollar company Oct 19, 2025 1732 Trinny Woodall first became a household name as one half of the dynamic duo, Trinny and Susannah. Together the pair built a career issuing fashion advice to women on their long-running BBC series, What Not to Wear. But at the age of 53 Woodall decided it was time to step out on her own, launching eponymous beauty brand Trinny London. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, fashion editor La
How the (banker) founder of MJ Bale took over menswear
How the (banker) founder of MJ Bale took over menswear Oct 12, 2025 1687 Growing up on a sheep farm, Matt Jensen has long had an appreciation for natural fibres. But it was during a stint in London working as a banker that the budding entrepreneur spotted a gap in the menswear market. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, fashion editor Lauren Sams finds out how the failure of one business led to the success of another – menswear giant MJ Bale. This podc
How Bruce Keebaugh turned $500 into a global events company
How Bruce Keebaugh turned $500 into a global events company Oct 5, 2025 1303 When the co-founder and former chief executive of The Big Group was 21, he had just $500 in his pocket. Not afraid of risk, Bruce Keebaugh and his wife, Chyka Keebaugh, used it to champion the competitive world of catering and events. This week on How I Made it, The Australian Financial Review’s Lauren Sams finds out how this hospitality guru came to dominate an industry. This podcast was sp

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