Garvin Wu has had extensive experience in the computer industry over the past 15 years. Starting out with a Business & Marketing Degree, Garvin went to work in a marketing firm as a project coordinator. This position gave him some real insight into the corporate world as he coordinated projects with Apple and Sun Microsystems.

Following this position, Garvin worked in a number of business and technology companies, expanding his experience and knowledge of computers and the internet as well as working with many well known corporations.

In 2006, Garvin founded Rice Studios - a web development firm that helps businesses of all sizes to use emerging technologies to do their marketing. This business has flourished and Garvin, now Director, has continued to develop the business and its products so as to stay ahead of the crowded web development industry.

» Read the full interview with Garvin Wu from Rice Studios.

Narelle Anderson’s first foray into business ownership in 2000 was with fledgling waste management company CBD Enviro Services, a small operation consisting of 4 employees and 2 trucks. Over the next 7 years she went head-to-head against waste management giants Cleanaway, Veliola and Sita to create one of the most innovative waste collection services in Sydney.

Narelle sold CBD Enviro Services in 2007 and started Envirobank, a company that is revolutionising public place recycling with an interesting, 21st century take on the much loved cash-for-cans initiative. Envirobank utilises reverse vending technology that unlike traditional vending machines allows people to insert their empty cans or drink bottles in exchange for credits or tokens that can be redeemed by the user. The technology has been successfully tried in the US and Sweden and is set to change the recycling habits of everyday Australians.

Envirobank reverse vending machines offer Australian businesses, communities and corporate organisations one of the most unique and effective advertising opportunities and ability to have a positive impact on the environment through the use of green media. 

» Read the full interview with Narelle Anderson from Envirobank.

After working for 15 years in senior human resource management roles in the consulting, energy, telecommunications and education sector Pamela Frost found a passion for developing the potential in people.

In 2002, qualified with a Masters of Human Resources, Masters in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Bachelor of Economics and Diploma in Law, Pamela founded Because. This venture specialised in employee engagement as well as life and work enrichment.

Avhieving great success with her ideas and projects, clients of Because now include giant  corporations such as Canon, MYOB, ANZ Bank, Coles Myer and BHP Billiton (just to name a few). Pamela  provides these companies with a coaching framework that enables people to explore and leverage their unique talents and passions to drive improved business results.

» Read the full interview with Pamela Frost from Because.

After completing a Masters in Business, Fiona Anchal worked for a couple of companies in a marketing/PR role but was always drawn back to running her own company. Her passion was business and whilst she didn’t know what product or service she wanted to provide she knew she wanted to work for herself.

Fiona found her idea and started Shirt Studio in March 2004. It began as a retail shirting specialist store in Brisbane. She created her own product line and fashion brand (Shirt Studio) and designed everything in house, then manufactured it in Europe. Shirt Studio has now grown to three stores in Brisbane, a Melbourne store to open in Feb 09, online store and a national corporate division incorporating corporate styling and uniforms.

Fiona has recently started a foundation called Over the Moon with the main beneficiary being Parmanie, a women’s domestic violence refuge. The intention is to give the women and children at Parmanie and other domestic violence refuge a gift which will leave them with the experience of feeling over the moon.

» Read the full interview with Fiona Anchal from Shirt Studio.

Robert H. Bloom, commonly known as Bob Bloom, is a widely respected authority on business growth and author of ‘The Inside Advantage‘. The book provides readers with a simple path of discovery: a process that will help them identify the core strengths inside their business and create a realistic, low cost strategy that will quickly drive growth.

Bloom began as an entrepreneur, and grew a local advertising agency into a successful national agency.

He later became the US Chairman and CEO of Publicis Worldwide. As the leader of a $4.6 billion global marketing services company, he helped craft and implement the growth strategies of some of the world’s largest companies and brands. Bloom managed over 1000 employees, 12 US offices, and a roster of clients including BMW, L’Oreal, Nestle’, Whirlpool, Zales Jewelers, and T-Mobile.

Bloom currently advises firms of every type and size on their growth strategies.

» Read the full interview with Robert H. Bloom from The Inside Advantage.

Rand Fishkin has been involved in web development since the late 90s, where he would consult on the usability side of the equation, assisting local Seattle-area banks, law firms, doctors and small businesses with their domains. It wasn’t until 2002 that he got involved in the field of search marketing and search engine.

In 2004, he co-founded SEOmoz, which has since grown to 18+ employees and a community of over 100,000 active search marketers. Since 2005, Rand has been the CEO at SEOmoz and oversees the company’s strategic and product direction, helping it to become one of the most visible companies in the search marketing world.

Rand has been invited to speak to the search engineers at Google & Microsoft, contributed to the launch of the SMX conference series, and given presentations for Stanford University, Public Media, NPR, Benchmark Capital & Ignition Partners. He has also appeared in dozens of publications, both online and mainstream.

» Read the full interview with Rand Fishkin from SEOmoz.

Leona’s first career was as a successful marketing consultant, working with Microsoft in the UK, then several advertising agencies and corporates such as Optus, CBA, Volvo, MBF, RAMS and Virgin Mobile.

During her time in the UK Leona took a holiday on a tall ship, and ended up launching her ‘food’ career as a Cook on an open-plan charter yacht in the Whitsunday Islands, with passengers from all over the word – the idea of cooking and group dynamics was launched!

Six years ago, using both her marketing and Le Cordon Bleu studies, she founded the Cheeky Food Group, a company that uses the fun and interaction of cooking together to provide team building, conference and client entertaining activities across Australia and New Zealand.

Leona has doubled turnover almost every year and taken an initial investment of a mere $5,000 to a $2,000,000+ company with big plans for the future.

» Read the full interview with Leona Watson from Cheeky Food Group.

Lara Solomon, winner of the NSW Telstra Micro Business Awards 2008, has struck gold when on a trip to Thailand she saw women, selling from street stalls, small stretchy socks for electronic devices. Lara decided to develop a higher quality product with designs more suited to the Australian market. Now she’s making a success of it - a million dollar success that is!

With valuable marketing and business experience under her belt (she was the Brand Manager at SC Johnson, Conair and Vidal Sassoon) Lara found the motivation to leave her high-profile career and took the plunge in March 2004 to start her own company, LaRoo and launched the product Mocks. The original mobile phone sock or “Mock” is now an iconic brand with over a million Mocks already sold worldwide in Australia, New Zealand, UK and USA.

Lara’s new book - Brand New Day - the Highs and Lows of Starting a Small Business is a true, funny and brutally honest Bridget Jones’ Diary style account of starting a new business. Brand New Day follows Lara on her journey through the successful growth of her company LaRoo, as well as her compelling relationships with employees, friends and family. Readers experience a fly-on-the-wall view in to the mistakes she made along the way – sometimes at a huge expense.

» Read the full interview with Lara Solomon from Mocks.

I started HatchThat.com to help people learn about entrepreneurship through interviews with entrepreneurs, and now the time has come to pass the torch to somebody who has the vision to grow the site to the next level.

In that time there have been some really great interviews - some of my favorites include:

• Aaron Fyke from Starfish Ventures
• Jason Calacanis from Mahalo
• Steve Sammartino from Rentoid
• Amit Gupta from Photojojo
• Dan McComb from Biznik

» Read the full interview with A Goodbye and Farewell from Ross Hill.

Luke Goodwin is a Melbourne based Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Physiotherapist and Start-Up Motivator. At the age of 24, he set up his own Physiotherapy practice. Two years later he set up a brand new Clinical Pilates exercise studio called Pilates @ Brighton.

His entrepreneurial flair led him to invent, design, manufacture and market his own new product called GripSox™. These are non-slip anklet socks that were initially designed for his pilates clients. Luke’s marketing expertise has helped the GripSox™ product grow quickly into an international success story.

Luke is now a business mentor and motivational speaker and helps educate other budding entrepreneurs to develop their own personal entrepreneurial flair.

» Read the full interview with Luke Goodwin from GripSox.