How I Made It

Hosted by The Australian Financial Review

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Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-AU

About the show

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams & Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.

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60 recent

August 25, 202632 min

Bill Beament led a 1¢ company. Now it’s Australia’s biggest gold miner

Bill Beament put himself on the map by transforming a fledgling explorer, Northern Star, into one of the world's biggest gold miners. After turning the 1¢ company into a multibillion-dollar giant, the West Australian decided to take a punt on a new solo venture. Now the founder and chief executive of mining exploration company Develop Global, the king of Kalgoorlie is turning his attention to critical minerals. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams delves into the mining titan's playbook as he takes on copper, zinc and lithium. This podcast was sponsored by Sinch Engage . Further reading: ‘I had $200’: Inside Aussie Bruna Papandrea’s meteoric Hollywood rise When the aspiring film producer moved to New York she was in her early 20s and had hardly anything to her name. ‘I owe you nothing’: Two unlikely partners and a $20b housing empire Craig Carracher knew student accommodation could be vastly improved – and a serious moneymaker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 18, 202639 min

'I had $200′: Inside Aussie Bruna Papandrea’s meteoric Hollywood rise

When Bruna Papandrea arrived in New York, she had $200. An avid storyteller, the South Australian began reading scripts for her friend, actor Anthony LaPaglia. But it was when she was offered a job working for legendary filmmakers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella that her career transformed. “I was 29, and I get chills telling the story because that is just a moment that you can't fathom how much it's going to change your life,” the film producer says. In this week’s episode, host Lauren Sams finds out how Papandrea became one of Hollywood’s most powerful storytellers, producing huge hits from Big Little Lies and Gone Girl to The Undoing. This podcast was sponsored by Sinch Engage . Further reading: ‘I owe you nothing’: Two unlikely partners and a $20b housing empire Craig Carracher knew student accommodation could be vastly improved – and a serious moneymaker. How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company Andromeda founder Grace Brown reveals how her hi-tech companion, Abi, has disrupted an industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 11, 202636 min

‘I owe you nothing’: Two unlikely partners and a $20b housing empire

When Craig Carracher first met his business partner, Stephen Gaitanos, he was somewhat reluctant to team up. “He was only a young fellow. He's 15 years younger than me, and he put his hand up and said, ‘I'd like to come across as your junior,'" Carracher recalls. “And I said, ‘Look, I'm not going to pay you for five years. I'm not sure I like you... I owe you nothing.'" But Gaitanos was all in. Twelve years since starting their joint venture, Scape – now part of the broader housing enterprise, The Living Company – the duo has dominated the student accommodation sector. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams finds out how this co-founder spotted a gap in the housing market to build a $20 billion empire. This podcast was sponsored by Sinch Engage . Further reading: Alex Vynokur bet the house on ETFs. He won The aspiring entrepreneur knew the odds were stacked against his start-up, Betashares. How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company Andromeda founder Grace Brown reveals how her hi-tech companion, Abi, has disrupted an industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 2, 202635 min

How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company

Grace Brown had always enjoyed maths, science and music. Teamed with a “wild imagination”, her interest in patterns meant she was obsessed with all things magic. When she took on an engineering design subject in high school, everything became clear. “I wanted to spend the rest of my life working as an engineer because you could just imagine something and create it that didn't previously exist,” says the now- 26-year-old. Brown has since turned her fascination into a thriving robot helper start-up, Andromeda. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams finds out how this engineer-turned-entrepreneur built a $100 million company. This podcast was sponsored by Sinch Engage . Further reading: AI leads Australian start-up $5b funding boom Funding for tech start-ups surged by $1 billion last year, with more than 60 per cent going to AI companies, but VCs say the market is not in bubble territory. A 25-year-old Melburnian now has a $100m robot helper start-up Female founders are still struggling to receive funding, but Grace Brown’s robotics start-up just banked a $23 million series A funding round. Alex Vynokur bet the house on ETFs. He won The aspiring entrepreneur knew the odds were stacked against his start-up. But Betashares is now Australia’s second-largest exchange-traded fund provider at $75 billion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 28, 202634 min

Alex Vynokur bet the house to start Betashares. It now manages $75b

The former lawyer walked away from a top-tier legal career to risk his house on an ETF venture. It’s now the country’s second-largest exchange-traded funds provider. "I was just totally convinced that you know I should just do it," says the Betashares founder. On the first episode of the new season of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams sits down with the chief executive to found out how he turned his start-up into an industry giant. This podcast was sponsored by Sinch Engage . Further reading: Luck, timing or hard work: What it takes to become a top entrepreneur What makes a business venture successful? Australia’s top business leaders reveal how they built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way. Four leaders who came to Australia with nothing, and made it to the top Australia may be imperfect, but for these bosses it was the land of opportunity. Record wave of ETFs flood the ASX, with more to come Firms are rushing to launch new funds on the ASX as retail investors demand access to the country’s top fund managers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 22, 20260 min

Trailer: How I Made It returns July 29

How I Made It is back with host Lauren Sams. Don’t miss season six as we uncover how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

November 23, 202529 min

What working on David Bowie’s yacht taught Boost founder Janine Allis

Growing up, Janine Allis never thought about starting her own business. “I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was,” she says. But after spotting a gap in the market, there was no stopping the founder of a now-global smoothie company that’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. On the final episode of season five of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how the Boost Juice owner became one of Australia’s top business leaders. This episode was sponsored by Telstra . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

November 16, 202533 min

‘It's the Mount Everest of careers’: How Fleet’s CEO built an $800m company

Since she was a little girl, Flavia Tata Nardini was obsessed with space. The Italian-born rocket scientist began her career at the European Space Agency but moved to Adelaide in her 20s, where she found herself confronted with a lack of industry. Left with no other choice, she started her own business. On this week's episode of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how the CEO of Fleet Space Technologies reignited Australia’s space industry – and built an $800 million company. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

November 9, 202529 min

A scam set WA’s fertiliser king on a path to a $5b fortune

Vikas Rambal came to Australia from India on a prospective business trip in 2000. But the project he was looking into was not what it seemed. It was a moment on his five-day trip that would prove to be pivotal. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, Rich List editor Yolanda Redrup finds out how a scam and a chance encounter set about the Perdaman Group founder’s dream to build the country’s largest fertiliser plant. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

November 2, 202522 min

How a former IBM executive redefined Australia’s restaurant scene

Chris Lucas grew up in the world of hospitality, often spending time in his dad’s pub in Geelong. But it wasn’t until his mid-30s that one of the country’s top restaurateurs entered the industry himself. On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams finds out how working at IBM as a sales and marketing executive inspired Lucas to become one of the biggest figures in the hospitality industry. This podcast was sponsored by Telstra . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.