The Dion Guagliardo Podcast

In this episode, I interview Jason T Smith. Jason was CEO of Back In Motion Health Group. Founded in 1999, Back In Motion grew into one of Australia’s largest physiotherapy networks, eventually becoming an ASX-listed company and setting a record for one of the sector’s biggest transactions. Throughout the episode, Jason shares how he built his business from humble beginnings in

In this episode, I interview Andrea and Ian Gardiner. Andrea is the founder of Jelix Ventures, an early-stage venture capital manager dedicated to supporting startups across Australia and New Zealand. Ian is the co-founder of Innovation Bay, Australia’s leading and longest running startup community. Together, Andrea and Ian have become major pillars in the startup scene, investin

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Grace, Founder and CEO of The Nudge Group. Since launching in 2019, The Nudge Group has redefined the role of recruitment agencies, helping startups scale by connecting them with top talent and a trusted ecosystem for growth. Steve shares his journey as a natural entrepreneur, including how he built and sold two successful businesses before fo

In this episode, I interview Greg Taylor - Founder of Step One Underwear. Founded in 2017, Step One has become one of Australia’s most popular underwear brands, growing to become an ASX-listed company, with a market capitalisation of around $250 million and operates internationally. Throughout the episode, Greg talks about his early days in rowing and how competing for Australia

In this episode, I interview Paul House - CEO of Imdex, an ASX-listed mining-tech company with a market capitalisation of $1.2 billion. Paul has helped the company grow to now employ over 800 staff globally and earn $445 million in annual revenue. Throughout the episode, Paul emphasises the importance of staying innovative and the power of seeking inspiration from different industr

In this episode, I interview Matt Jones, co-founder of Four Pillars - one of Australia’s most popular gin companies. Since founding in 2013, Matt and his co-founders have seen Four Pillars be named the worlds best gin producer three times, expand overseas and be acquired by drinks giant Lion for a reported $100 million. Throughout the episode, Matt emphasises the importance of br

In this episode, I interview Phillip Di Bella - founder of Di Bella Coffee and more recently, the Coffee Commune. Founded in 2002, Phillip grew Di Bella coffee into one of Australia’s largest coffee roaster and supplier before eventually selling the business in 2014 for $47 million. Throughout the episode, Phillip talks about the importance of entrepreneurship and creativity espe

In this episode, I interview Adam Schwab, co-founder of Luxury Escapes. Luxury Escapes is an online travel booking platform aimed at providing great travel packages at fair prices. Founded in 2013, Adam has grown the company to earn hundreds of millions in revenue, employ over 500 staff, and expand internationally. Throughout the episode, Adam talks about his long history as an ent

In this episode, I interview James Clarke, founder of Bolster Group. Founded in 2015, James has grown Bolster from a small team to now a multi-agency business, that employs 50 staff and helps orchestrate some of Australia’s biggest live events. Throughout the episode, James emphasises how taking on risk is the most important step in achieving scale and growing Bolster to where it

In this episode, I interview Leigh Jasper - co-founder of Aconex and Firmable. Aconex provided collaboration software technology for the construction, mining and oil sector. Over 18 years, Leigh grew the business to employ over 1000 people, list on the ASX before being acquired by Oracle for $1.6 billion in 2018. Today, Leigh is working on his latest company, Firmable, which is a p