Founders Steven Strange and Lisa Papettas were not prepared for the complexities of the aged care sector.

Last year Just For Pets shot to fourth place on the Smart50 rankings and chief executive Karen Justice told SmartCompany about the massive turnaround she had executed, from buying “a lemon” of a business in 2009.

Ed Ahern was a construction plumber on the lookout for new solutions to “rehabilitate” pipe systems when he went to Canada to negotiate the rights to sell a specialised set of products.

The Queensland-based business currently employs 80 people, and has grown 35.6% over the past three financial years.

Founder of Beginning Boutique Sarah Timmerman, has never been afraid to push the boundaries of her business, telling SmartCompany in 2015 that she was always “looking forward, chasing and hustling”.

The Smart50 Awards recognise Australia’s fastest growing SMEs, as well as top performing SMEs in categories such as retail, exporting, fra…