Written by Doctor of Philosophy in Accounting and Big Data candidate Nico Agliata.
First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Nico, and I am currently doing a Doctor of Philosophy (CRICOS 063150J) in Accounting and Big Data. Along with my studies, I’ve always wanted to have a go at owning my own business, which would ideally generate cashflow to fuel my investments.
Well, I don't want to leave you hanging, so let me get straight to the point: if you’re a Bond student who's thinking of starting a business and you haven't yet gotten in touch with the team at Transformer, you’re missing out. Here’s how my business partner and I went from having absolutely no clue to having everything set up and ready to go for our very first business.
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When we first reached out to Transformer, I had a clear idea of what I wanted my core product to be, and the manufacturing process involved. My partner and I had already put in our fair share of research hours to get to that stage. In all fairness, 99 per cent of our attempts ended up being discarded for one reason or another. But let me tell you this – those 99 per cent were not failures at all. That process got us to the stage we’re at now, and if it weren't for that, we would have never reached the results we were after. It might sound a little cliché, but it is a trial-and-error process, and it’s the errors that will get you closer to your goals.
After lots of testing and failures along the way, we finally had a product we were happy with, and that had a lot of upsides in terms of scalability and ease of manufacturing, and had fairly decent profit margins, even on small-scale production. I can’t exactly tell you what our company is, seeing as we’re not ready to launch just yet (blame the Doctorate!), but what I can tell you is to keep your eye out for Amico Designs in the coming months…
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But, how did we actually get to this stage? Having moved to Australia from Europe, I only had a very vague idea of the legal requirements of starting a business in Australia. On top of this, this was my first rodeo at being an entrepreneur, so I shamelessly needed a lot of guidance. When it came to branding and positioning the products, the guys at Transformer were able to ensure that we were communicating a straightforward brand story.
Ever since we first reached out to the Transformer team, the support has been sensational. From providing guidance around the product to getting us in contact with industry leaders, we would definitely not have gotten so far into this process without them. Now, we are nearly ready to launch, with just the finishing touches and a final polish to go. Â
After my incredible experience with Transformer, I can’t reiterate this enough – if you’re looking to start a business during your time at Bond, Transformer can help you get there. Setting up Amico Designs with the Transformer team has helped me to learn the ins and outs of starting a business from the ground up. Although it hasn’t been easy, and we’re far from being done, as long as you’re prepared to work hard, it’s all worth it. So, roll up your sleeves, put your entrepreneur hat on and get in touch with Transformer!
Grow your business with Transformer
Transformer is an Australian-first entrepreneurship program available to all Bond University students. It’s fee-free and treated like an extracurricular on top of your regular studies. Launch that big idea with the help of great minds, access to industry professionals and a support network like no other.