A question I often get asked: what’s the common characteristic of the self-made billionaires and founders who grace the pages of Forbes?
This story features in Issue 18 of Forbes Australia. Tap here to secure your copy.
I mention a few: they’re action-oriented and get things done fast. They’re determined, they’re curious – constantly questioning and testing assumptions. They’re ambitious, fuelled by a deep personal fire. They’re goal-driven.
But the trait I talk about most is their unshakeable self-belief. A belief that what they’re setting out to achieve is possible. They carry a deep inner conviction about who they are and the impact they will leave on the world.
They don’t start something and hope it works out week by week. They see a problem that needs solving or a gap in the market, and they believe they, and their company, are the ones to fix it.
Mark Bouris put it well in our recent Drive with a CEO episode: “You are exactly who you think you are.” We create a story about ourselves, and our actions reinforce that story until it becomes real. What I’ve noticed about the most successful people is that they form the story in their minds first, and then they go and make it real.
They don’t look at other wealthy or successful people and think, “That’s them over there, that could never be me.” They see themselves as part of that story, that cohort long before they actually belong.
But there’s a flipside to that inner burn. This determination, this burning sense that they must do something meaningful, often comes at a cost. The trait we don’t speak about enough is their painful persistence.
By the time you read about these founders in Forbes, you’re hearing the success story – the wins. But not enough about the pain; the long stretches of rejection, isolation, uncertainty and even rock bottom.
Susannah George’s story, featured in this issue, is a good example. She built media brand Urban List from her Brisbane bedroom into one of Australia’s leading media platforms – all while navigating burnout, depression, and motherhood. From the outside, everything looked great: viral growth, revenue doubling, traffic booming, awards – baby in one arm and laptop in the other. But inside, she was breaking. George shares, with raw honesty, the reality of launching a business: the sleepless nights, self-doubt and the constant internal battle over whether she was failing her business or her babies – or both.
Also in our Cover Story, we share the journey of Ben Thompson, founder of Employment Hero. While Thompson transformed some of the dreaded tasks of payroll and HR into a $2 billion company serving 300,000 small businesses globally, the road there was anything but smooth. Thompson hit rock bottom more than once before things turned around. When we see him now on a Forbes cover – we can’t forget the day in 2013 when he stopped the car at the Spit Bridge in Sydney, had multiple start-ups bleeding money, including the early version of Employment Hero and he turned to his wife, Caz, and said, “Darling, I think we’re going to go bust.” They didn’t have enough cash to make the next payroll. The house was on the line. Years of work, belief, and sacrifice seemed to be on the verge of collapse. They were both in tears.
But what pulled him through wasn’t some magic wand – it was grit and resourcefulness, a relentless cycle of begging clients for early payments while stalling suppliers – always in a bid to keep the business alive. Read the full story on where he is 12 years later on page 42
Life as an entrepreneur isn’t easy. It’s tough. It’s lonely. That’s why at Forbes Australia, we don’t just tell the stories of the game-changers, we bring them together through our Forbes Business Summit, Forbes Club, Forbes Women membership and soirees. Because we know it’s hard. And often the best antidote to loneliness is connection – with people who understand the stakes.
Ben Thompson will join a host of others at the upcoming Forbes Business Summit. You should join us too.
I hope you enjoy the issue.
This story features in Issue 18 of Forbes Australia. Tap here to secure your copy.
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