How I Made It

3.8 (5)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
UPDATED WEEKLY

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams & Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.

11/23/2025

What working on David Bowie’s yacht taught Boost founder Janine Allis

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 out how the Boost Juice owner became one of Australia’s top business leaders. This episode was sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 min
11/16/2025

‘It's the Mount Everest of careers’: How Fleet’s CEO built an $800m company

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 of Fleet Space Technologies reignited Australia’s space industry – and built an $800 million company. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

33 min
11/09/2025

A scam set WA’s fertiliser king on a path to a $5b fortune

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 country’s largest fertiliser plant. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 min
11/02/2025

How a former IBM executive redefined Australia’s restaurant scene

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 figures in the hospitality industry. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 min
10/26/2025

He could’ve been Qantas CEO. Instead Bruce Buchanan started a $7.2b company

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 the curtain to find out how this former aviation executive built a company that became a giant of the tech world. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

35 min
10/19/2025

Trinny Woodall, What Not To Wear and a multimillion-dollar company

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 Lauren Sams finds out how the former television host became a beauty disruptor standing at the helm of a multimillion-dollar company. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 min
10/12/2025

How the (banker) founder of MJ Bale took over menswear

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 podcast was sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 min
10/05/2025

How Bruce Keebaugh turned $500 into a global events company

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 sponsored by Telstra. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 min

See All (63)

3.8

out of 5

5 Ratings

Interesting guests, but interview style needs worked

07/22/2024

Eneerhut

I am grateful a podcast like this exists, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Positives: - It’s nice to hear the origin stories of some of Australia’s most successful business leaders. - Julie-anne Sprague takes time explore the early years which are too often glossed over. - She challenges some of the decisions made by founders, pointing out when they might not be so obvious to the average person. Ares for improvement: - She interrupts the guests frequently which can make the podcast frustrating to listen to. Often the guest seems to be on a train of thought, only to be interrupted with an unhelpful question or an interjection that doesn’t provide any insights to the listener. It comes across like she is seeking their validation and wants them to know that she understands what they’re talking about. - “How I Made It.” As a long-time “How I Built This” listener, it is embarrassing that this AFR podcast either copied their name from the NPR series or didn’t do their due diligence to check for originality.

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams & Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.