Small businesses of all shapes and sizes have thrived across Australia in 2015, and Square is proud to have played a small part in their journeys. We’ve seen sellers open their doors for the very first time (including Indian street food eatery Delhi Streets, fast-paced coffee specialist Skittle Lane, and many more), and seen our sellers win awards for doing great business (from an Eat Drink Design Award shortlisting for Hutch & Co to an investment partnership for Those Girls) and much more.
Here are some of their stories as Square celebrates a year of successful small business.
Black Velvet Coffee expanded with new locations and accounts
“We like to think that the Black Velvet family has grown,” said Black Velvet Coffee co-owner Jackie Silverman. The business expanded the number of cafés that purchase its wholesale coffee, increased sales through its online store and opened a second espresso bar, Black Velvet Galleria, in Melbourne’s central business district.
“While the increase in wholesale and retail business is satisfying, the greatest business success and pleasure for us comes from being able to evaluate, adapt and grow along with the success,” said Jackie.
Hunters’ Roots opened its first store
“What started out as a vision for us to work together and share our passion for healthy eating has finally become a reality this year,” said Hunters’ Roots organic juice and salad bar co-owner Kerrie Chew, who started her business in partnership with her husband Jeff. “Along the way we have received lots of support and feedback from a wonderful small business community that has helped us to grow in the right direction. We look forward to returning in 2016 with brighter and bigger things in the pipeline!”
Get Naked Espresso Bar opened the window on its second coffee bar
In the heart of Victoria’s historic Bendigo, owner Jesse Gollan opened the window on his second Get Naked Espresso Bar location by capitalising on what he called “the growing trend for hole-in-the-wall, fast-paced service.”
Adding new technology in 2015 was also a milestone for Jesse. “Square and Fresh KDS has taken our business to the next level” he said. “We have put Post-it note ordering behind us and gone digital, which has enabled us to be faster, keep track of wait times and analyse our data — from daily trends to yearly growth.”
Those Girls found a major investor
“2015 has been a huge year for Those Girls,” said Lauren Davie and Elena Andoniou, the founders of the iced tea company. “We have an investor on board, added four new sites to our fleet, expanded into the Sydney market, set up our headquarters and tripled our team.”
An exciting opportunity on the television show Shark Tank landed Those Girls a significant investment from Australian entrepreneur Steve Baxter.
“We have been lucky enough to experience many big successes in 2015,” they told us. “But if we had to choose what to celebrate it would be that 2015 appears to be the year of the entrepreneur. There has never been a better time to make your dreams come true.”
Stand Up Cafe thought big in a small space
Stand Up Cafe owner Dan Chrystal had always wanted to own his own cafe. “It’s a dream that I have had for many years,” he said. Opening a tiny coffee window in a hidden laneway allowed for much lower startup costs, meaning he could start his own business at a much younger age than most entrepreneurs.
But it doesn’t look like the cafe will remain small for very long. “Word-of-mouth advertising has really grown my business,” Dan said. “Getting repeat customers who slowly bring new customers has enabled Stand Up Cafe to experience rapid growth.”
Hutch & Co became a valuable member of their local community
Aside from being shortlisted for their outstanding cafe design in the 2015 Eat Drink Design Awards, new cafe Hutch & Co celebrated the importance of their local community in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges.
Co-owner Nick Panagopoulos told us how this has been an important part of their journey. “We love the opportunity to provide great customer experiences and build strong customer relationships while making (and drinking) wonderful coffee all day,” said Nick. “The way we have been embraced by the local community is definitely what has surprised us the most. We are so thankful for all the fantastic people we get to interact with everyday.”
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