Brett Phillips – 3 Deep Design
October 22, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Can you tell us the story of how business was born?
3 Deep Design was one of those studios that arrived on the Australian design scene with little grace. Studios like ours generally fall from the sky, smashing through the clutter and noise of everyday life to shatter the conservative design status quo. Having little regard for the mediocre or the average, the studio preferred to assert its position through producing work of the highest detail and a unwavering commitment to creativity and craftsmanship. 3 Deep Design was established in 1996 by myself and David Roennfeldt. We met in our first year of college and formed a creative bond that has seen us work together relentlessly for the past 17 years. The name 3 Deep Design came from 3 young designers, sitting 3 Deep at a small desk. It was a humble beginning in a small residential space.
The studio has now been recognised with over 60 National and International awards of excellence and has produced work for premium clients such as Louis Vuitton (Japan), Madonna, Toni Maticevski, The Australian Ballet, Mallesons Stephen Jaques and Wheels & Dollbaby. In the fifth year of business, 3 Deep was recognised as the number one design studio in the world with directors under 30 years of age (Young Guns International Adverting and Design Awards). It could be said that 3 Deep’s products and services are now called upon by the finest bookstores, galleries, private clients and institutions around the world.
What was the hardest part of getting your business off the ground that you did not see coming?
We are very careful about the projects and people we pursue for new business. After 13 years of practice we understand the qualities that our clients need to have in order to produce successful work. We believe that while we can identify opportunities that exist in the brief or the circumstance, it is essentially our client who needs to recognise the potential and be comfortable in affording us the scope to pursue and develop a solution. For 3 Deep, recognising and nurturing these attributes in our clients is a vital and challenging part of design practice. We are essentially interested in those that understand the value of emotional and intellectually driven design. It makes life a great deal more enjoyable. In answering your question, I think that the hardest part of getting the business off the ground was seeking out those clients who could facilitate the quality of work that we wanted to be a part of. They are few and far between in Australia.
Was it harder to get your business profitable than you thought it would be? Why?
When you start a business at 21 years of age you think that anything is possible! Running any business is challenging and running one that focusses on premium high end outcomes isn’t any different. Is it harder than I thought it would be? Absolutely. Do I love that about it, absolutely.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
Every experience, both positive and negative has made us more resilient, more confident, more humble, more controlled and more excited about the possibilities of our work. It has shaped us personally and for that I am grateful.
Would I have done anything differently? Not in a heart beat.
What was the greatest advice anyone gave you?
Think long and hard about what has come before you, what your contribution is going to be and if you have the energy and passion to make one. If you don’t have a clear understanding of where you want to be ten years and how you can move design forward then perhaps consider something else. The time will fly and you need to be prepared to stand up and be counted, anything less is just a waste of your time.
What is your favorite website right now?
Now these guys know how to do it properly.
What was the one thing you kept telling yourself when the going got tough??
3 Deep is something that doesn’t happen very often and when it does it needs to be fostered, developed and nurtured.
In the early days I had this belief that our competitors and peers would be working two hours longer than me every day so when I thought about finishing at 10 or 11pm I would do that extra 2 hours just to stay ahead of them. Multiply that by 20 years and that’s allot more investment.
Brett Phillip
Principle
3 Deep Design
Penny Flanders – missmoneypenny.net.au
November 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Can you tell us the story of how business was born?
Last October, karmically, within the space of a month 5 girlfriends all
happened to complain to me that they had wardrobes full of designer clothes
they had paid a fortune for and didn’t want to throw away but wanted some
cash back. They were too good to donate to charity (I’m taling $1500 prada
dresses here) they couldn’t be bothered with Ebay (way too by junk on there)
and consignment stores were way too hard (too snooty and couldn’t be
bothered hoiking clothes down there – only to be given the once over).
Conversely, had heaps of girlfriends looking for fab designer gear but
couldn’t be bothered trawling markets, Ebat or ops shops – they wanted the
hard work taken out of finding the fashion gems – high qual designer cuts
and fabrics without the $000 price tags.
Miss Money Penny as an idea was borne, researched and entered in a
competition. It won and here we are today!
Was it harder to get your business profitable than you thought it would be?
Why?
Getting it profitable!! That is still to come. It takes a lot longer to make
a profit than expected and planned. Sometimes years! You have to plan for
that. Log terms goals and a vision is very important.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
Yes! But hard to say as I was none the wiser. Getting the right advice is
cructial but not at all easy to find! I would ask for more advice and not be
so frightened of annoying people. I’d pick one key source of info and trust
in it – searching for answers is so time consuming and counter-productive
What was the greatest advice anyone gave you?
Trust your instincts / ask for help
What is your favorite website right now?
Frcokshop.com.au / Net-aPorter.com, Colette.com
What was the one thing you kept telling yourself when the going got tough??
It will be worth it in the long run
Victoria Waters – Victoria Waters Design
October 22, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
an you tell us the story of how business was born?
What was the hardest part of getting your business off the ground that you did not see coming?
Is there anything you would have done differently?
What was the greatest advice anyone gave you?
What is your favorite website right now?
What was the one thing you kept telling yourself when the going got tough??
Gabrielle Patterson – Photoloco
October 21, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Can you tell us the story of how business was born?
I’d seen a gap in the market for more photographic locations to be available in Melbourne, having worked in photographic production for a few years. But seeing I was working in a full-time role which I really enjoyed, I put the idea on the back burner for a few years. Once I’d had my first baby, I found myself not wanting to go back to full-time work, and I was looking for something which I could do from home. It made sense to finally put my idea into action, and Photoloco was created. It was really easy to get up and running. Once I started scouting and taking shots of locations, I had a great website built by Sam Stewart of Middlegrey. I then sent out an email to everybody I knew in the industry, letting them know all about Photoloco, and a few weeks later, I had my first job! I love that all my work is online, either via my website or email. It makes it so easy to manage my time.
What was the hardest part of getting your business off the ground that you did not see coming?
For the first few jobs that came in, if I didn’t have the right location on file already, I was out on the road scouting all day. Its hard to juggle that sort of thing when the client calls last minute and the deadline is pretty much asap. But those jobs were so worth it, because from each of them, I was building up my library of locations very quickly!
I also do miss going into an office and having that interaction everyday. It can get lonely working by yourself! Thank god for Facebook and Twitter!
Was it harder to get your business profitable than you thought it would be? Why?
I was very lucky that I had no real start-up costs. All I needed was a website and a good camera, and I was ready to go. I already had a laptop and fax, and that’s all I need to run Photoloco efficiently.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
Photoloco is still work-in-progress, so I can’t really answer that question yet! In hindsight though, I do regret not starting sooner!
What was the greatest advice anyone gave you?
“Just go for it! You have nothing to lose!” So true…
What is your favorite website right now?
girlwithasatchel.com
Just a fun, light-hearted read!
What was the one thing you kept telling yourself when the going got tough??
It can be disheartening when things are quiet, but it always turns around – and then you feel like you can’t keep up!
Gabrielle Patterson
Carla Dinnage – Kiddy’Up Kids
October 21, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Can you tell us the story of how business was born?
I established Kiddy’Up in 2008 because I had a passion for being creative. After life in the marketing & merchandising world and now being a stay at home mum, I was tired of seeing all the boring, plain pastel baby blankets in the shops, a niche market was realized and Kiddy’Up was born!
What was the hardest part of getting your business off the ground that you did not see coming?
The hardest part of getting the business off the ground was sourcing all the materials and finding manufacturers. Once that was set in place it was a matter of designer the products and marketing them online.
Was it harder to get your business profitable than you thought it would be? Why?
Yes it was harder than I thought as there is alot on competition out there. You need to think of creative and cheap ways to get your name out there.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
Probably invested more money on a good website from the beginning. I have just had to update my website to ecommerce because the shopping cart is more advanced than some of the cheaper websites. Which makes it easier to sell my products.
What was the greatest advice anyone gave you?
In the beginning try to promote your product through free advertising because you have a unique product you might be able to get some free editorials.
Carla Dinnage
Kiddy’Up Kids
Jodie Culpin – Homepeel
October 12, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
How did you first come up with the idea to start homepeel.com.au?
At the time I took care of Victoria and Tasmania for an Internet Security Software business called Trend Micro. I worked from home, made lots of money and had flexible hours. As this happened, I also turned 30 and started to feel quite disappointed in what stared back at me in the mirror!
The result was that I spent most of my disposable income and time in beauty salons! With time it started to become a passion of mine. I asked lots of questions and I soon became the ‘Go To’ girl for Beauty tips in my circles.
The 5 day peel was what entranced me the most. To shed the upper layer of dead skin cells from your skin gives anyone an instant, gorgeous and youthful glow – but in a salon it cost approx $700!!
One day whilst I was having the treatment done I thought to myself.; Surely we can do these ourselves at home for a fraction of the cost!
Homepeel was born.
I research the salon treatments for a about 6mths, took all the information down to a leading Australian Skin care manufacturer with the idea. Homepeel was to create the first range of salon quality skin care treatments for home use at a fraction of the cost. It took about 3 years to develop the range. But it was worth the wait
Did you have any prior online experience?
I was lucky enough to be introduced to the world wide web well before many as I had a mentor in Cairns who rented out campervans to Europeans for their holiday’s in Australia. He communicated with many of the Europeans via Email. Ever since that moment I can say I was quite smitten! I was at the time the National Sales Manager, so I was the person who floated nationally from office to office in the company. Due to this; I became the IT person’s right hand man. We were getting our websites up and rolling, Intranets, national CRM programs etc. It was all cutting edge and I adored it!
How did you go about selecting your web designer?
After scrutinizing many companies and driving nearly the whole human race insane! I decided to do a Dream Weaver course and do it myself. Of course this did not go well because Dreamer Weaver is not something you can pick up in 6 hours. But I did manage to get it to how I wanted it to look like then I outsourced it. I have an amazing IT right hand man and he is a god sent. You need to get someone who ‘gets’ you. Meaning your pedantic, perfectionist ways…
How long have you been operating for now?
About 5 years
What are you most proud of to date?
That I’m still here 
Another highlight was being featured in the Herald Suns Body + Soul.
Plus every time someone uses my Flakey Skin Remover and tells me it’s the best beauty product they have ever used! (Happens all the time) (This is our exfoliating skin polish)
What are you looking forward to this year?
We are very focused on really expanding our SEO potential. We have started to outsource this work, which was hard for me as I adore the whole concept of it!
Another thing we are focused on this year is getting into print media. We have 5 Homepeel magazine competitions over the next 3ths. You have to stay very close to the editors and eventually they give you a break!
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Walk the path!!
If you were to do it all again, what would you change and why?
I don’t believe in changing things. You need to have 100% faith in all that you do and what happens to you 100% of the time. Everything really does happen for a reason and it always unfolds in time. Sometimes it takes longer than you want it to.
I love the following quote from Thomas Edison
I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once.
I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work.
When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.
–Thomas Edison
Jodie Culpin
