B.box for kids was born out of the “mission impossible” task of changing a newborn’s nappy on an aeroplane. After not being able to find a product for on-the-go changing already on the market, co-founders (and best friends) Dannielle Michaels and Monique Filer got to work with a five-year business plan, involving a patented “diaper wallet” the pair believed would have strong potential in international markets.

The founders of cloud-based retail platform Fluent Retail believe there’s only one way to gain and keep a client’s trust - by staying genuine.

Media buying and brand strategy are billion dollar industries, but not all clients have big dollars to drop on campaigns. Media33 aims to address that truth, with founder Michael Lambert using his 16 years of communications experience to create the Melbourne-based media-buying agency.

“Whatever funds you think you will need to start your business, double it.” That’s Yellow Octopus’ founder Derek Sheen’s advice to fellow entrepreneurs. He says this simple equation “will give more realistic estimates of what will actually be required to start your business”.

Cloud Plus founder Jules Rumsey has one key piece of advice for fellow business owners: “Bet heavy when you know you’re right”, he told SmartCompany last year, when the business secured eighth place on the Smart50.

Rob Ward and Chris Peters founded Annex Products off the back of one of the first successful Australian Kickstarter campaigns, through which they raised over $40,000 in funding for the Quad Lock smartphone mount for cyclists and drivers.

It might seem like a pipe dream to some, but Supercheap Storage enthusiastically proclaims on its Facebook page that “moving house should include having fun!”

Growth has been the name of the game for Laser Clinics Australia founders Alistair Champion and Babak Moini over the last 12 months, with their business’s employee numbers, revenue, and Smart50 rank all jumping significantly.

“We don’t like emptying our bank account every time we have a coffee, just so George Clooney can build another wing on his pad at Lake Como,” say the team from PODiSTA, a Podpac coffee brand.

Starting his career as a sales rep for an outdoor retail company, Jack Media co-founder Andrew Crawley was inspired by his friends travelling the world and running their own businesses. One of these friends was co-founder James Kitchener, who led Crawley to get a job in online marketing.

Ben Handler and Simon Cohen continue to ride Australia’s housing boom, appearing for the third consecutive year in the Smart50, as their buyer’s agent business Cohen Handler notches up a three-year growth rate of 172%.

Martin Lazarevic is a Smart50 veteran, placing in the awards three times over the past three years at positions 47, 39, and 22 respectively. This year has been the best yet for his business, National Crime Check’s, thanks to a revenue increase of over $2.5 million and expansion on the horizon.