25. Vollardian

Revenue: $1.15 million
Growth: 53%
Founders: Arani Satgunaseelan, 36; Bodine Jones, 43
Head Office: Woolloomooloo, NSW
Employees: 8
Industry: Professional services
Website: https://vollardian.com/
Year Founded: 2017

How it started

Between them, Arani Satgunaseelan and Bodine Jones had already doubled eBay’s small-to-midsized offering (with a program then adopted globally), and tripled Gumtree’s automotive listings, before they set out to found their own management consultancy.

With Vollardian they promised businesses better results for less, without the traditional consultancy “brain drain” culture.

Growth

Vollardian has hired four new employees in the last 12 months to bring its full-time number up to eight, with a diverse mixture of cultural backgrounds, genders, and levels of education.

Satgunaseelan and Jones say they are not constrained by preconceived beliefs of what employees should have on paper — half of the team did not go to uni.

A focus on employee retention over revenue helped the business ride out challenging periods. The growth that followed validated the company’s decision as it increased revenue by 53% over the past 12 months.

Where to next?

Vollardian now plans to grow globally and establish an office in a new market overseas, meaning more opportunities for staff alongside business growth.

The challenge, the founders note, is keeping that special relationship between consultant and client as Vollardian continues to get larger.