2013’s Hot 30 Under 30: 11-15

Bill Huynh Company: Interior Secrets Age: 28

Interior Secrets launched in 2009 and offers high-end style affordable furniture. He faced some tough challenges at first, including receiving his first order of 500 chairs and discovering they had more than a few defects. Now, he’s got his supply chain sorted and last financial year had a turnover of $1.7 million.

Originally stocking office furniture, Interior Secrets now also offers a variety of household and outdoor furniture too. Last year Interior Secrets came 19th in SmartCompany’s Smart50 awards and the business continues to reach new heights.

Unlike many others in the furniture business, Interior Secrets boasts a “high turnover, low margin” business model and sources its goods globally.

Dane Cornish Company: Activated Group, Data Online Age: 30

It’s been 10 years since Dane Cornish founded Activated Group, which provides sporting programs to schools across Australia. In that time, the company’s had 10 years of consecutive growth, won lots of awards and has expanded to New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada. Last year, it earned revenues of $1.85 million and employed 180 people.

In 2010, while still managing Activated, Cornish also founded Data Online, an online mailing list broker that hit $1 million in revenue last year.

Cornish sold out of Data Online late last year. He says he’s now taking a break with his young family.

But he’s not done yet, telling SmartCompany he plans to start a new tech company later this year. We’ll be keeping an eye out.

Anthony Goldbloom Company: Kaggle Age: 30

Originally a Melbourne-based start-up, Kaggle is a platform of data scientists which compete to solve the world’s most difficult problems. Now operating from the United States, Kaggle’s community of scientists has worked with NASA, helped advance AIDS research and most recently has started work on a project with General Electric to slash flight times and improve fuel efficiency.

Prior to starting Kaggle, Anthony Goldbloom worked in macroeconomic modelling for the Reserve Bank of Australia and had also previously worked for the Australian Treasury. To top off his talents, while in high school, he also represented Australia in sailing, competing in the 2001 World Championships.

Kaggle boasts some impressive clients including MasterCard, Pfizer, Allstate, Facebook and Ford and has 65,000 data scientists in its community. Goldbloom told the San Francisco Business Times by the time he’s 40, he wants to have won a Kaggle competition himself.

Ben Bradshaw Company: SponsoredLinx Age: 30

Ben Bradshaw began his professional life as a magician, breaking two Guinness World Records – one for recording the fastest time for breaking out of a straightjacket. Ben’s quick thinking and ability to work well in stressful situations is a key component of his success in developing and building SponsoredLinx.

Bradshaw launched the search engine marketing company in 2006 and it provides online marketing services to website operators.

SponsoredLinx now turns over just under $5 million a year.

Bradshaw says the key to a successful business is being willing to adapt. “Unless you embrace change and can adapt, the industry will have evolved before you’ve even started. That’s why we like to have different brands out there, it keeps us versatile.”

Dwayne Martens Company: Amazonia Age: 28

When Dwayne Martens sat packing acacia berries in the back of a friend’s organic kitchen in Western Australia – he had no idea he was going to be a successful business owner distributing to South Korea, Singapore, New Zealand and Japan.

Martens says his commitment, focus and belief in his endeavour helped him get where he is today.

“I just went for it, I focused 100%, if you believe strongly in your truth things will fall into place,” he says.

For Martens, the future holds big plans with Amazonia turning over around $4 million a year.

“Amazonia is going full on; it’s really exciting,” he says.