From Road Tripping Around the USA in a Van to Running One of The Fastest Growing Digital Media Agencies in Australia

On Episode 31 of the “Future of Australia” podcast, I speak with Joe Frazer, the Managing Director and Digital Lead for Half Dome, a digital media agency, which grew 683% last financial year, to do over $5.6 million in annual revenue. 

This made Half Dome, on the Financial Review list of 100 fastest growing new companies, one of the FASTEST GROWING new business in Australia.

[Click Here to Listen to the Podcast in SPOTIFY, or Listen in iTunes, or Listen in SoundCloud, or search 'Future of Australia' or 'Derek Stewart' in your iPhone or Android podcast app]

We Discuss...

• Stumbling into a job in programmatic advertising as employee number 6, growing to nearly 100 staff in a few years and riding a boom in the industry
• Why structured learning did not suit him, which made the university experience less enjoyable 
• Why University only teaches you about marketing, but not advertising and media specifically
• Being invited in to pitch for Maurice Blackburn, who is still a client to this day, going against the four biggest media agencies in Australia

• Hiring their first two employees as people they had worked with before, and the changing dynamic of being their boss rather than their colleague
• Growing 700% in 12 months, and doing over $5,000,000+ in revenue per year
• Hiring a Talent Development Role as the 7th employee, despite it being unusual to hire that role so early in the business
• Why some staff did not fit with their constantly changing environment, which is 50% prior work history, and 50% personality type, that thrives well in a fast growth business like theirs
• “A growth mindset is a non-negotiable for us” and why they continually push their staff to learn and grow
• Rebelling against the “hustle and grind” entrepreneur mentality, and focusing on being a professional and established business, because the hustle mentality does not match what they want to do
• Why they see entrepreneurship focused on hyper-extroverts, and do not relate to that
• Being super proud of their brand and how they treat their staff in an industry known for not treating staff well
• “Go and have fun” as his advice to 18-20 year olds, and why he does not recommend people rush into starting a business at a young age
• Developing a “Half Dome way of doing things” that differentiates them and drives growth, how they deal with people, how they get the best out of them
• The massive people focus of Half Dome, being “hard on the work, soft on the people”

[Click Here to Listen to the Podcast in SPOTIFY, or Listen in iTunes, or Listen in SoundCloud, or search 'Future of Australia' or 'Derek Stewart' in your iPhone or Android podcast app]

Podcast Episode History:

Episode 1: "Family Business & Real Estate: How Husband and Wife QLD Entrepreneurs Found A Gap in The Market"

Episode 2: "Law & Accounting Firm A.I and Automation + Doubling Revenue TWICE in 12 Months"

Episode 3: "Expat Entrepreneurship & Maximising Your Marketing Dollars"

Episode 4: "Turning a Hobby Selling Quirky Gifts Online Into a Multi-Million Dollar Business"

Episode 5: "Owning 20+ Properties In His 20s to Buying 40 Per MONTH for Clients"

Episode 6: "Engineering Entrepreneurship and Managing BILLION Dollar Assets"

Episode 7: "One Day Away From Shutting Down to 1000% Annual Growth"

Episode 8: "From Losing Your Co-Founder to 59% Growth the Next Year"

Episode 9: "Female Entrepreneurship And Starting a Business 11 Days After Giving Birth"

Episode 10: "From Door-To-Door Salesman To $11 Million Annual Revenue Within FIVE Years"

Episode 11: "From Podiatry Intern to 60+ Employee Health SuperCentre"

Episode 12: "From Selling Burned CDs to $350mm in Annual Revenue"

Episode 13: "Developing a Growth Mindset and Perth Entrepreneurship Going Global"

Episode 14: "From Army Officer to $23mm Annual Revenue Canberra Consultancy in 3 Years"

Episdoe 15: "How High School Best Friends Created One of The Fastest Growing Media Agencies in Australia"

Episode 16: "Creating Entrepreneurs, Corporate Innovation and Helping 10 Year Olds Make $1000+ Per Month"

Episode 17: "From $200,000+ in Credit Card Debt to Seven Figure Annual Income"

Episode 18: "How Construction Consulting Became a Multi-Million Dollar Niche Success"

Episode 19: "Why A Fast Growth Law Firm Embraces Tech and Teaches Its Entrepreneur Clients How to Negotiate"

Episode 20: "From Neuroscience PhD to 70 Employee Fast Growth Consultancy"

Episode 21: "From Inspirational Facebook Posts to the Fastest Growing New Apparel Business in Australia"

Episode 22: "From Sleeping on the Factory Floor to 3rd Fastest Growing New Business in Australia with $40mm+ Annual Revenue"

Episode 23: "From Graduate Finance Job at 18 to Growing Revenue $55 MILLION in 12 Months"

Episode 24: "Paying Drivers MORE The Secret to the Fastest Growing New Logistics Company in Australia"

Episode 25: "From Kicked Out Of High School to Published Author Running A Multi-Million Dollar Digital Growth Agency"

Episode 26: "From $1,000,000+ in DEBT to 6th Fastest Growing New Business in Australia

Episode 27: "How EMPLOYEE-OWNED Consultancy Became 10th Fastest Growing New Business in Australia"

Episode 28:"From Cold Calling in a New York City Phone Booth to Australian Public Company CEO"

Episode 29: "How a Direct-To-Consumer Leak Proof Underwear Business Became The 8th Fastest Growing New Businesses in Australia"

Episode 30: "Why Helping People Lose 6kg+ in TWO WEEKS Made Shark Tank Invest"

Hi, my name is Derek. "FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA" is a project I am running to interview the Founders, CEOs and Entrepreneurs behind the FASTEST GROWING new businesses in Australia. 

"FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA" is about interviewing, celebrating and sharing the knowledge, aspirations, struggles, goals and achievements of these people with a broader audience.

If you are interested in contributing, learning more of keeping in the loop with our updates and email newsletter, email me at [email protected], or give me a call or text on 0404 689 897.

www.FutureOfAustralia.com