Why I Walked Away From a Secure Paycheck at 20 to Build My Own Business, and What It Taught Me

Why I Walked Away From a Secure Paycheck at 20 to Build My Own Business, and What It Taught Me

It's been almost six months since my last solo episode. Far too long, if you ask me. In this one I'm telling the full story of how I quit my three-year electrical apprenticeship at 19 to go all in on my business, plus the five lessons I've actually learned scaling it so far. I get into the real stuff: the people who told me I was stupid for walking away from a secure paycheck, the burnout that put me in bed for days, the moment I realised I was just a number to a company that didn't care, and how I went from an unpaid real estate shoot I can barely watch back to running my own company with a team behind me. The five lessons cover networking, why relationships come before the pitch, pricing and knowing what your time is actually worth, building your professional and personal brand, and setting up a lead engine that brings the work to you. If you're stuck in a job you know isn't it, or you've got something you want to build and the fear's in the way, this episode's for you. It's everything I've lived so far, including where I got it wrong, so you can skip a few of the same mistakes. Sponsored by: Growth Concept Media Growth Concept Media is my content and personal branding service for service-based businesses and founder-led brands. If you're great at what you do but you're invisible online, that's the gap I close. Whether it's building out your personal brand or capturing your next event properly, the work's the same: get clear on your story, create content that actually sounds like you, and turn it into work that builds trust and brings the right people to you. No vanity metrics, no posting for the sake of it, just story-driven content that makes you the go-to in your space. Find me at growthconceptmedia.com.au [http://growthconceptmedia.com.au].

Bailey Tonkin on Taking the Leap Everyone Told Him Not To

Episode 5 of 5 on On the Streets of Perth. The open mic podcast where I chat with someone out in the wild and we just talk. No studio, no script. We shot this one down in Freo. Bailey and I go way back. High school, skateboarding at fifteen, a few Muay Thai spars over the years. A few weeks ago he got home from Thailand, and the way he ended up there is next level. Fresh off a breakup, sitting in the gym on a Friday after work, he realised nothing was keeping him in Perth anymore. So he booked a one-way ticket to Phuket in about ten minutes, right there on the gym Wi-Fi, before he'd said a word to his boss or his parents. Paused his whole electrical apprenticeship to do it. If you've ever talked yourself out of a leap, listen to this one. Connect with Bailey * Instagram: @baileytonkinfitness [https://www.instagram.com/baileytonkinfitness/] Connect with The Growth Concept * Website: thegrowthconcept.com.au [http://thegrowthconcept.com.au] * Sponsored by: Growth Concept Media — growthconceptmedia.com.au [http://growthconceptmedia.com.au]

Sam G From 8 to 26 Clients in Six Months at Just 20

Episode 4 of On the Streets of Perth. My open mic series where I sit down with guests out in the wild and just talk. No studio, no script. Just a real conversation. This one's different though. Sam G is back for round three, but Sam and I go way, way back. Macca's days, both of us at 15. So before we touched any of the business stuff we got into how we actually met, the dumb things we got up to as teenagers, and why neither of us would take a second of it back. Sam G is a 20-year-old online fitness coach in Perth. He helps skinny guys put on muscle and get the structure most of them never had on their own. He came up through a Sport & Business diploma with the Perth Wildcats, then went from eight clients to twenty-six in under a year by coaching blokes through the exact same road he walked himself. Connect with Sam * Instagram: @samggym [https://www.instagram.com/_samggym_/] Connect with The Growth Concept * Website: thegrowthconcept.com.au [http://thegrowthconcept.com.au] * Sponsored by: Growth Concept Media growthconceptmedia.com.au [http://growthconceptmedia.com.au]

Emotional Intelligence, Motorbikes & Beating Cancer — Levi Surjan's Story

Episode 3 of On the Streets of Perth a open mic series where I sit down with guests out in the wild for unfiltered, real conversation. No studio, no script. This week I caught up with Levi out in Freo. What most people don't know is the story behind it at 11 he was diagnosed with leukemia, spent years in daily chemo, and walked into high school as "the cancer kid." Instead of breaking him, it built the emotional intelligence he leads with today. We get into where his ability to read people comes from, how motorbikes became his escape during treatment, why he reckons genuine connection only gets more valuable as AI takes over online, and some real talk on relationships and look within yourself. If you've ever felt like the thing that was supposed to hold you back is actually what made you, this one's for you. Connect with Levi * Instagram: @levi.surjan [https://www.instagram.com/levi.sergeant/] * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/levi-surjan [http://linkedin.com/in/levi-surjan] Connect with The Growth Concept * Website: thegrowthconcept.com.au [http://thegrowthconcept.com.au] * Sponsored by: Growth Concept Media [https://www.growthconceptmedia.com.au]

The Self-Taught Creative's Dilemma, Christian Rusli on Building a Brand While Studying Full-Time

Episode 2 of On the Streets of Perth a open mic podcast series where I sit down with guests out in the wild to capture unfiltered, real stories and experiences. No studio, no script, just honest conversation. This week I caught up with Christian Rusli on the streets of Fremantle a self-taught photographer and videographer who's carving out a name in the automotive and sports space here in Perth. We get into how he went from growing up around cars in his grandpa's Indonesian showroom to recently shooting the United Cup, one of the biggest pro tennis events of the year. We dig into the messy middle of building a creative business: finding a system that actually works, the tension between studying engineering and going all in on the camera, and the family pressure that comes with choosing the "less safe" path. Chris also shares his take on whether energy and confidence can outweigh experience (spoiler — I tell the story of how I bluffed my way through my first real estate shoot in full auto focus). We close with the card game and two questions that hit harder than expected — what you want but are afraid of, and the last time you felt deeply happy. If you're in that in-between stage of trying to balance the safe path with the creative one, this one's for you. About the Series On the Streets of Perth An open mic podcast series bringing unfiltered, real stories and experiences from creatives, founders and everyday people out on the streets of Perth. No edits to the truth — just real conversation in real settings. About Christian Christian Rusli is a Perth-based photographer and videographer specialising in automotive and sports content. Self-taught, currently studying engineering, and building his media brand on the side. Recently shot the United Cup pro tennis event in Perth. Connect with Christian * Instagram: @ [https://www.instagram.com/christianr.media/]christianr.media [http://christianr.media] * Portfolio: christianruslimedia.mypixieset.com [http://christianruslimedia.mypixieset.com] Connect with The Growth Concept * Website: thegrowthconcept.com.au [http://thegrowthconcept.com.au] * Host: Keoni Upton — Growth Concept Media [https://www.growthconceptmedia.com.au]