2013’s Hot 30 Under 30: 21-25

Brandon Cowan Company: Crazy Dog Apps Age: 19

While still in high school, Cowan began to have phenomenal success with app ideas you’ll wish you had come up with.

For example, his first iPhone app, released in April 2011, let users tag where they parked their car in case they forgot. His second, Pet Rescue, lets users search a database of thousands of pets from shelters across Australia, which can then be contacted directly by email or telephone.

In 2010 Cowan founded Crazy Dog Apps, which has since made four apps that ranked among the top 100 in the Apple store.

“My app ideas come from real-world problems with poor or no solutions already available,” he said earlier this year.

“First I identify a problem and then I come up with an app idea that solves the problem.”

Stan Kruss Company: Expo Centric Age: 29

Stan Kruss started ExpoCentric from the second bedroom in his house. Kruss was prepared for long hours and hard work. Now, he reaps the benefits of his commitment.

Leaving school at 15, Kruss entered the workforce early, but working for other people failed to satisfy him.

“The problem with working for other companies was the small clients. I was interested in going into exhibition, which can then lead to doing lots of things,” he says.

Kruss believes hard work pays off.

“The harder you work the luckier you get; you have got to start pounding the pavement, snare opportunities.”

ExpoCentric has doubled in size every year with revenue of around $4.5 million last year. It has just expanded to NZ.

Finn Kelly Company: Wealth Enhancers Age: 28

In his 28 years, Finn Kelly’s done a lot.

He holds a double degree in maths and physics along with six diplomas, spent seven years as an army officer, founded one education business that didn’t go far, before hitting the jackpot with his second, boutique wealth advisory firm Wealth Enhancers, which he cofounded in 2010 with now fiancé Sarah Riegelhuth.

Last year, Wealth Enhancers had a turnover of $1.2 million, earned off the $150 million in client funds managed by the company.

Riegelhuth recently told SmartCompany the current aim for Wealth Enhancers is to have offices in all the major cities.

“We want to be recognised as the first choice for young people seeking advice,” she said.

Matthew Sampson Company: Aspect Personnel Age: 27

Matthew Sampson is making strides in the business world.

After working for companies for two years, Sampson decided to go out on his own, developing a fast growing, successful business.

Despite uncertain beginnings, Sampson says Aspect Personnel is running smoothly.

“At the moment everything seems to be going okay, although we are experiencing growing pains as we are expanding really quickly into a medium-sized business.”

Sampson hopes to grow the size and scope of Aspect Personnel and says in the last financial year turnover increased by 18.5%.

His goal for the next year is to become the leading business in engineering, town planning and construction.

Priyanka Rao is busy extending and bringing new innovative ideas into her family’s business, Luxmy.

Luxmy currently turns over $13 million a year and this revenue has been boosted by Evolvex – a branch of Luxmy developed by Rao that specialises in customer designed flat-pack furniture.

Rao was inspired to develop this arm of the business when shopping for furniture with her sister.

“I came up with idea, we were shopping for flat-pack furniture and we couldn’t find exactly what we wanted. We had the idea of somewhere where you could design your own online and have control.”

Since successfully developing Evolvex, Rao has moved onto developing two new projects within Luxmy.

“I’m now more in the commercial furniture sector; more of my focus is now on wholesale and a different type off commercial operation.”