From Blacktown to Boardrooms: Why I Traded Everything to Help Leaders Build Better Teams

I wasn't supposed to make it.

Too small for basketball. Too young for management. Too ambitious for corporate. Yet by 25, I was Coca-Cola's youngest District Sales Manager of the Year.

Here's what shaped me:

The Foundation
Growing up in Blacktown, watching Mum work night shifts at the hospital while Dad climbed from checkout to senior buyer at Franklins. Moving between Sydney and the Gold Coast taught me to adapt fast and connect faster.

My older brother Shane left school at 14 to chase business. I wanted to follow - to focus on basketball, my first love. Dad's compromise? Leave school, but only for full-time work.

So at 14 years and 9 months - the legal age with parent consent - I was stacking shelves at Franklins at 4am, then training basketball all afternoon. Those early mornings with seasoned workers taught me more about leadership than any MBA could.

The Rejection That Fueled Everything
"Too small for point guard," they said. So I trained harder. Refereed games to study the sport deeper. Worked the canteen for extra cash.

Made the NSW Metro Under 18 State Team anyway. Captained championship teams. Even trained with the West Sydney Razorbacks. Proved them all wrong.

But when the NBL's finances crumbled, I made the call that changed everything: business over basketball.

The Corporate Climb
Walked into my Coca-Cola interview in dirty work clothes - fresh from completing a customer planogram relay I'd promised would be done. No time to change. The hiring manager saw commitment, not poor presentation.

Ten years later, I'd transformed struggling districts into award-winners by doing what others wouldn't: spending 20 hours a week in the field, turning KPIs into daily conversations, making vulnerability a leadership strength.

The Side Hustle That Became Everything
While crushing it at Coke, I spotted a gap in the drinkware market. Started D-STILL with my savings and insane hours:

• 5am: Gym
• 7:30am-6pm: Coca-Cola
• 8pm-midnight: Building D-STILL
• Repeat for 900+ nights

My old boss from Howard's Storage World, Simon Noble, became my investor and partner. Together we scaled D-STILL from my garage to being ranged across 300+ retail stores and Australia's premium hospitality venues.

The Success and The Loss
By 2023, we'd survived COVID, launched Vision Hospitality, and I'd become a dad to Jett - learning to close deals with a baby on my hip.

Then Simon died suddenly. An unexpected heart attack.

His estate called in our investment loans. Despite profitable operations and an incredible team, the maths didn't work. In April 2025, I made the hardest call of my life: voluntary administration for both companies.

The Phoenix Chapter
Losing Simon taught me that life's too short for bullshit metrics and pointless meetings. Losing the businesses taught me what actually matters: the people you build with and the leaders you develop.

Now I help founders and leaders skip my painful lessons. No theory from someone who's only read about it. Just battle-tested systems from someone who's built it, lost it, and learned what actually drives performance.

Because here's what 20+ years taught me:

• Strategy without clarity is just noise
• Accountability without empowerment is just micromanagement
• Leadership without vulnerability is just acting
• Success without purpose is just empty

Your team doesn't need another framework. They need a leader who's been in the trenches and emerged with the truth.

Ready to build something that matters?