How these cafe heroes are inspiring next generation of community champions
They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office.
The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020.
Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce.
Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since.
A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes.
"It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne.
"It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us."
Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council.
During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards.
AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW!
"I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said.
"Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really."
Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed.
"That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said.
"It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year."
They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs.
"We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said.
"It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with."
Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year?
If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office.
The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020.
Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce.
Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since.
A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes.
"It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne.
"It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us."
Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council.
During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards.
AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW!
"I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said.
"Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really."
Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed.
"That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said.
"It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year."
They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs.
"We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said.
"It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with."
Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year?
If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office.
The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020.
Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce.
Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since.
A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes.
"It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne.
"It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us."
Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council.
During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards.
AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW!
"I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said.
"Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really."
Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed.
"That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said.
"It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year."
They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs.
"We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said.
"It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with."
Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year?
If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office.
The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020.
Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce.
Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since.
A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes.
"It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne.
"It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us."
Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council.
During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards.
AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW!
"I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said.
"Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really."
Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed.
"That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said.
"It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year."
They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs.
"We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said.
"It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with."
Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year?
If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at australianoftheyear.org.au.
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Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
'Many millions' in unclaimed super for Pacific workers
Pacific workers are being urged to chase up "many millions" in lost superannuation from their stints in Australia, with that problem also leading to calls for reform. Difficulties navigating Australia's complex tax system, particularly for foreigners, mean Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers often leave their hard-earned super languishing. During a nine-month stint in Australia at the guaranteed base wage levels, PALM workers typically accumulate around $3,800 in pre-tax superannuation. Like other guest workers, PALM workers can apply to access those funds once they've left the country, but most either do not - or can not. "PALM workers are collectively leaving many millions of dollars in superannuation unclaimed," Robert Whait, University of South Australia senior lecturer told AAP. The PALM scheme has expanded in recent years to average around 30,000 workers from 10 Pacific nations in Australia at any one time, doing jobs that employers cannot fill. Industries includes agriculture and food processing, but also aged care, hospitality, tourism, and even a pilot in early childhood education. Dr Whait manages the UniSA tax clinic, which offers advice "to help vulnerable Australians with their taxes", and on the foreign affairs department's suggestion, widened to take in PALM workers. "PALM workers have the same rights we do ... but the main issue is that under the current law, they can only access that superannuation when they leave Australia and their visa is canceled," he said. "Either they're not aware of it, or the process to put in the forms is difficult because of various barriers, so lots of money is left unclaimed which they could be taking home with them to use, directly with their families and helping out their lives." Barriers include the unavailability of key forms in languages other than English, the reliance on internet and computer access, and verification. PALM workers also get slugged with extra taxes that effectively claw back half of their earnings: the 15 per cent tax on contributions and a 35 per cent "departing Australia superannuation payment" tax. The messy situation has led Dr Whait, with Connie Vitale from Western Sydney University, to author a paper looking at policy reforms, especially given super primarily exists to fund the retirement of Australian workers. Options canvassed include adding super into their take-home pay (as occurs in New Zealand) or sending it to a super fund in the worker's home country, either as they earn, or when they head home. Dr Whait believes the latter options would better serve the primary of purpose of super - to assist workers in retirement - and allow Pacific super funds greater pools of funding to invest at home. "The money from PALM superannuation could be used to help infrastructure in their countries and help their communities, so that was probably the tipping point in in recommending that approach," he said.
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
How these cafe heroes are inspiring next generation of community champions
They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office. The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020. Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce. Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since. A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes. "It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne. "It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us." Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council. During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards. AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW! "I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said. "Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really." Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed. "That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said. "It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year." They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs. "We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said. "It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with." Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year? If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office. The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020. Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce. Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since. A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes. "It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne. "It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us." Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council. During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards. AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW! "I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said. "Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really." Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed. "That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said. "It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year." They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs. "We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said. "It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with." Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year? If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office. The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020. Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce. Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since. A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes. "It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne. "It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us." Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council. During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards. AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW! "I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said. "Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really." Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed. "That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said. "It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year." They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs. "We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said. "It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with." Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year? If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at They may officially be the country's local heroes, but cafe owners Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello are just happy to be away from the office. The pair run Stepping Stone, a social enterprise that began in Cartagena, Colombia, back in 2017, and shifted to Canberra amid the pandemic in 2020. Their cafe helps female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, new arrivals to Australia, with limited English or minimal employment history, and those experiencing homelessness. The women develop skills and experience, which helps them get into the wider workforce. Named Australia's Local Heroes at January's Australian of the Year Awards, they have barely had time to take a breath since. A trip to the Northern Territory, to meet with other social enterprises and talk to schoolkids about their work, has marked another milestone for the couple - the first time they've been able to leave their staff in charge of the two bustling Stepping Stone cafes. "It's a relief, it's such a sense of achievement," Ms Brettell said over the phone from Melbourne. "It feels wonderful when we can go and everything works well. Obviously there are little hiccups, but we're on call, and that's all part of them growing. Us not being there actually enhances everyone's sense of responsibility and ownership over the businesses, and that sense of pride that they are responsible and can manage it without us." Ms Brettell and Ms Costello, who met more than a decade ago working at a London pub, have been invited by the Northern Territory National Australia Day Council. During Refugee Week, from June 15 to 21, they'll meet with another work integration social enterprise in Darwin and visit primary schools to present children with "Aussie of the month" awards. AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS: NOMINATE NOW! "I think the main message that we want to get out to little kids is that if you see something that you want to change in your community, you can do it," Ms Costello said. "Talk to the adults, talk to the people around you, and you can affect the change that you want to see, really." Being named Australia's Local Heroes, apart from putting their enterprise on the map, had exposed them to new ways of thinking about their business and the people they helped and employed. "That additional publicity has led to new opportunities for us, actually looking at growing and scaling the business, and I guess having the award behind us is really motivating," Ms Brettell said. "It feels like we have a bit of responsibility to make the most of this year and take as many opportunities as we can for the women that work with us, but mostly for the women who are still waiting to work with us. We have about 60 women on our waiting list, so that's really the motivation to grow and scale the business this year." They are looking at other ways to employ the many women who need jobs. "We have a lot of women that we work with where hospitality isn't probably the environment for them," Ms Brettell said. "It can be a very stressful environment with a lot of fast paced things changing all of the time. We have been very lucky to have people in the community that have different skills that they can bring to the table. We don't want to say too much just yet, because nothing's set in stone, but some wheels are moving in the direction of starting different types of businesses or starting different types of operations and training opportunities for the women that we work with." Who inspires you? Who do you think should be our next Australian of the Year? If you see them or hear about them, nominate them before July 31 for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards at
Herald Sun
10 hours ago
- Herald Sun
‘You've got to learn': Young Aussie reveals how a simple idea turned into a multi-million dollar business
Raquel Bouris has built up a multimillion-dollar perfume empire, but even she still makes mistakes that can cost her six figures. Ms Bouris, 31, is the founder of Who Is Elijah, a genderless fragrance brand that describes itself as 'bold, timeless and unapologetic' and has been widely successful since its launch in 2018. Well, almost since launch. When Ms Bouris originally launched the brand on Shopify, she made 'zero sales,' which ended up being both the making of her and the business. 'It was one of those garage to global stories,' she told MORE: Australia's fastest growing salaries Who Is Elijah came to be after Ms Bouris attended the Coachella music festival back in 2017 and met a woman who she said smelled amazing. It was so good that even after she returned to Australia, she couldn't stop thinking about the other woman's perfume. It prompted her to track down the smell, which the fellow Coachella-goer said was from India, and once she started wearing it back in Sydney, she began getting constant compliments. 'I had over 100 people asking me what the fragrance was,' she said. MORE: A guide to the average salary in Australia The compliments she received on the fragrance made her realise how much Aussies craved a good scent. The 31-year-old found an Aussie perfume partner to work with and then launched her fragrance on Shopify – to zero sales. If anything, the failure motivated her because she knew the product was good, so she started hitting the pavement. 'I just started walking into stores and introducing myself and nine out of ten times they'd start stocking the fragrances and I very quickly built up stockists,' she said. Two years later, she quit her full-time job, and at that point the Who is Elijah brand was being stocked in over 50 stores. 'I was making $20,000 a month in revenue,' she said. Ms Bouris said when quit her job she is 'embarrassed to say' she didn't fully understand the business yet. She didn't even know the difference between profit and revenue, but she did see that her perfume business was bringing in money. 'No one was teaching me what profit and loss was. I quit right after I got into David Jones, and then around that time, I got a bookkeeper and accountant,' she said. From there, the business just boomed, from making $1 million a year to $10 million a year, and last year, it made $20 million in revenue. It's the kind of crazy success people only dream about but Ms Bouris said it comes with making so many mistakes. For instance, this year, they've focused on scaling back rather than growth. They went from being stocked with over 600 stores to only 100. The business founder said she wants to focus on getting the 'structure right' and that being stocked in fewer stores hasn't impacted revenue. Perhaps what separates Ms Bouris from her peers is that she's prepared to acknowledge a mistake and rectify it rather than keep going down the same path to avoid admitting she was wrong. She's also recently regretted 'paying ridiculous, like six-figure amounts of money' to people to do something that she should have just done herself. She wants to be open about that though, because in her opinion growing a business doesn't involve getting everything right. 'When I first started and I'd listen to other founders and I'd look up to them so much and I thought they were amazing, and then I got to know these people, and they'd come to me for advice,' she said. 'I'm very honest with our journey, and it has stuck with me that people in business don't like to admit that it is hard and they've made mistakes.' Ms Bouris said she feels like the last six years of business have ultimately been about learning 'lesson after lesson' but that is part of it. 'I started this when I was 23, I knew nothing about owning my own company. You've got to learn and there's a lot to learn.' Originally published as 'You've got to learn': Young Aussie reveals how a simple idea turned into a multi-million dollar business
