47. Bronze Snake

REVENUE: —
GROWTH: 51%
FOUNDERS: 31 and 31
HEAD OFFICE: Melbourne, VIC
YEAR FOUNDED: 2006
EMPLOYEES: 58
INDUSTRY: Retail and consumer products
WEBSITE: bronzesnake.com

After 10 years of successfully operating a retail store across multiple channels – no mean feat in a society that values physical footprints less and less – Bronze Snake founders say they’re still loving the journey.

But they still admit it could all fall apart at any moment; it keeps them on their toes.

“It’s all on the line all the time,” they say.

The first five years of the business were financially challenging, the pair say, and the company nearly closed its doors numerous times. But persistence paid off: and the lessons learned from multiple mistakes were “invaluable”.

While the founders say that was partly due to the fact neither had any retail experience (causing mistakes to be even more expensive), they persisted.

This is Bronze Snake’s fourth year on the Smart50 list, having debuted on the list at number 17 back in 2014. In 2015, the retailer was ranked sixth on the Smart50 list and last year, it took out the 22nd spot.

“Online just keeps getting stronger,” they say.

“We are strong believers in bricks-and-mortar but you can constantly see the online game getting stronger.”

International growth is next. As they head overseas, both founders say they consistently turn to staff for more ideas “both functionally and design wise”.

“Getting staff involved in the day-to-day of the business is very motivating. When staff see results from ideas they have implemented it gets them motivated to offer new ideas and designs,” they say.

* This article was modified on 24/4/19 at the request of the founders.