Aleksandar Svetski

Name: Aleksandar Svetski

Business name: Green Tiger Energy

Age: 24

State: NSW

Aleksandar Svetski is the founder of Green Tiger Energy, which is in the business of solar and renewable energy systems, and is tipped to take the sector by storm.

But it’s been a long haul for Svetski, who left home at 19 and lived in his car for a few days before making up some payslips and convincing a real estate agent to let him rent an apartment.

After trying his luck on the stock market, Svetski found himself $200,000 in debt, which prompted him to develop his skills and start a business.

“It was not until 2009 that my eighth or ninth attempt at a business actually made a decent profit,” Svetski says.

“My friend and I had started a sales company out of my lounge room and quickly expanded. The success of this venture was the culmination of all the lessons that took place in the preceding years.”

In order to build Green Tiger Energy, Svetski tried unsuccessfully to secure a bank loan, which meant he was forced to self fund the business.

“We found a way to push through, against all odds, and with four staff became one of the most profitable new businesses in Illawarra,” he says.

“We also became the first and only Illawarra-based company to expand across multiple states and successfully duplicate the model.”