20. Carolyn Creswell

Company: Carman’s Fine Foods
Revenue : $100 million*

Muesli maestro Carolyn Cresswell said keeping an eye on trends in the market eventually led to her beating multinational competitors in Australian supermarket sales.

Carman’s Fine Foods has carved out a name for itself in the cereal market, acquiring an annual estimated revenue of $100 million along the way. When she bought the business in 1992 for $1000, Creswell made the products in her own kitchen.

“I was an 18 year old uni student, personally hand making and packing each and every single packet of Carman’s muesli. I used to make deliveries next to Linfox semi-trailers out the back of my little Daewoo hatchback,” she said on her website.

In 2012, Cresswell became the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year. Kate McKenzie, Telstra group managing director for innovation, products and marketing, described her as “an articulate communicator, an inspiration to women of all ages and she’s also passionate about being a great mum”.