Motivated by obstacles and never taking ‘no’ for an answer
What began as disastrous family car trip led to Jo’s discovery that an essential parenting item was missing from the market.
Jo Hardie is founder of Spewy, a company that has created Australia's first absorbent, waterproof mats which protect clothes, beds, surfaces and bodies from 'spew'. Saving loads of washing, Spewy mats have proved to be a game changer for parents and carers of young children worldwide.
At I2N’s Startup Stories at I2N Hub Honeysuckle on Wednesday 5 April, Jo Hardie shared how her unique obstacles have motivated her to succeed and why she never takes no for an answer when it comes to her business.
Spewy has grown from dispatching their orders from a home garage to fighting for additional postage trucks to be sent to a regional NSW warehouse, which is a testament to Jo’s dedication to her startup and the quality of her product. Jo’s story has all the classic hallmarks of a startup journey with a lot of ‘spew’ thrown in, and her success as a female founder shows how a business can thrive when the best tools and knowledge are utilised, combined with a determination to succeed.
Catch up on Startup Stories with Jo Hardie
Top takeaways
- Don’t let a ‘no’ stop you in business. There is always an opportunity to turn a no answer into a yes!
- Work smart and set your business up early so that it works for you every day: have a dynamic website, know your customer journey, understand your analytics to find where you are losing customers, set up automations, schedule posts and stay on top of your numbers.
- Keep educating yourself and get involved in local business training opportunities, such as the 2023 I2N Accelerator program. You don’t know what you don’t know and the intensive training and support you receive will accelerate your business.
The University of Newcastle's I2N works with individuals and organisations from across the Hunter region and beyond to turn ideas and challenges into opportunity. As a leading driver of economic and business growth, the I2N cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset that is behind many of the region's most innovative businesses and leaders.
Keep up to date with future I2N events, programs and opportunities by subscribing to I2N's monthly newsletter or visit www.newcastle.edu.au/i2n
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