Tim is undeniably fearless and free, and behind the booming businesses of Bae Juice, EziStreat, Benny + Me and Brandu. We chat about his many ventures and what it’s like to juggle multiple businesses.
Tell us about your many ventures…
Since 2014, I’ve honestly taken on a huge amount of work in a number of different sectors. Once you find your strengths, you can really power out your time to work across all ventures. So, I’ve had a booming cafe in Melbourne for five years – I own this with my family and love working there. It’s honestly a really solid business and where I have learnt all different parts about business, from managing staff and social media to food and beverage. It was a few years after the cafe I started Bae Juice, which is pretty much a seven day week gig but has since started running itself after years of hard work and building an incredible team. From there, I’ve started working on a new mentoring startup with a friend from primary school. Giving back and working with young people is something I’m passionate about, so I look forward to bringing my business knowledge to not just the startup but people looking to learn and better themselves. And finally, the most recent project I am so excited about, again working with an incredibly passionate team to deliver the first hybrid of a dark kitchen model but also a consumer-facing component. So, it will essentially pump out take away food from 15 small kitchens and service patrons who wish to eat in the food hall or beer garden! The concept is called ezistrEAT, located in Melbourne CBD. Stay tuned!
Tell us about your career and background…
Well, I’m usually pretty honest about my background. I was expelled from a high-end school in year 10, received an ATAR of 39 after 12 years of school, and didn’t for a second consider going to university. Instead, I experienced all sorts of great jobs with different people from who I learned loads. Roof plumbing, bartending, music festivals, McDonald’s, landscaping and other industries I had a crack at. It wasn’t until the cafe in 2015 that I found my calling and upskilled myself to become a pure hustler and entrepreneur.
Describe a typical workday for you…
No two days are ever the same. It’s plenty of zoom calls, scabbing a coffee from my cafe, walking the dog and spending too much time on my phone making calls and scrolling Instagram, where I get most of my inspiration. I recently moved to Burleigh in QLD to have a nice, wholesome life and routine, and it’s been incredible. I’m very fortunate that I can work remotely and that it’s only a 2hr flight back to Melbourne, where I grew up.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
My housemate recently said, “if you don’t shoot, you can’t score”, and I think this is perfect for this question. We have never looked back for one second over our crazy journey with Bae Juice. I went from a barista working super hard in the hospitality world to now knowing how to import containers from overseas, marketing my business, getting into major supermarkets across the country, collaborating with famous brands and influential people; it’s a no brainer. The skills I’ve learnt throughout the Bae Juice journey will stay with me forever and I know they’ll guide me on future business ventures. So, it was worth the risk. If the businesses were to all flip tomorrow, at least I’ve gained a handful of skills that I can implement into any industry. So, go for it.
What’s next for you, and your brands?
Keep pushing the barriers! We want to take Bae Juice overseas, I want to open a small niche restaurant (stay tuned), and I want to keep building brands and businesses with good people. Working in this industry is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done and why I wake up in the morning.
What inspired you to start each business?
Just being able to bring my ideas and energy to a range of concepts is incredibly rewarding, especially doing them with friends, family and other like-minded people.
