It’s one thing to have an idea, but it’s another to take that concept and turn it into a reality. In 2022, starting a business takes more than a dream: it takes determination, passion and a strong sense of purpose. Many young professionals have found they can make their dreams come true in South Australia. Known and loved for its food, art and festivals, the state is also home to a new generation of young entrepreneurs who have discovered a base that caters to their individuality.
From its burgeoning hospitality industry to its flourishing beauty and fashion scene, Adelaide is brimming with possibilities for anyone looking to live a purposeful life. Here, three young professionals share how moving to this progressive city changed the course of their careers.
A new challenge
After three years in Singapore, award-winning chef Jake Kellie made his way back to Australia with intentions of moving to New York. Once the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he found himself living with his parents on the Central Coast of New South Wales, then working in Sydney. Feeling like a cog in a machine, Kellie wanted to do his own thing, which is how he ended up in South Australia.
Chef Jake Kellie was intending to move to New York; instead, he moved to Adelaide.
After arriving in Adelaide at the end of 2020 to work in a small wine bar, Kellie soon met his future business partners, who broached the idea of opening a restaurant by asking him to come and check out a potential site. When he arrived, he was met with a light-filled space with a huge dining room and beautiful courtyard - a space that would eventually become Arkhé, where Kellie is the executive chef and co-owner.
Kellie lives and works in Norwood with his partner and one-year-old son, and appreciates his work-life balance, which would have been harder to achieve in a bigger city. “It’s a lot more chilled in Adelaide, I really enjoy it,” he says. “If we were living in Sydney or Melbourne, it’d be much harder. The cost of living is just blowing out of proportion these days. Adelaide has been much more approachable in that sense.”
Arkhé is known for Kelly’s signature open-flame cooking, where he works with a wood-burning oven and open hearth.
When he’s not in the restaurant, 31-year-old Kellie and his family make the most of the state’s exploding food and wine scene, travelling to surrounding areas such as McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor, while also experiencing the best food and wine Adelaide has to offer. “South Australia is ready to represent Australia on a world scale,” he says.
A dream come true
Shahna Smith has known what she wants to do since she was a teenager. The founder and CEO of cosmetics company Amplified Beauty registered her business name when she was just 16, two weeks after losing her mother. “My mum named the business before she passed away,” she says. “That really gave me the drive.”
Armed with big dreams, Smith, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, moved from Broken Hill to Melbourne, where she worked in retail for two years, learning as much about the beauty industry as she could.
At just 24, Shahna Smith is kicking serious goals in the beauty industry.
She moved to South Australia in 2019, drawn to the balance of city and country that exists in Adelaide. “I really feel like I get the best of both worlds here,” she says. Shortly after arriving in the city, Smith started networking and quickly launched her makeup artist business, SSmith Artistry.
Despite not knowing anyone when she arrived, Smith was quickly embraced by the community and felt a deep appreciation for the sense of connection that thrives in the city. “It’s like dominoes here. Once you know one person, they flick you to the next, and then before you know it, you know everyone in the industry.”
Amplified Beauty officially launched in 2022, and 24-year-old Smith now runs that company alongside SSmith Artistry. She believes Adelaide was the perfect place to start her businesses, which have a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, much like the city itself.
“It’s easier to become a big fish in a smaller pond,” she says. “I love that it’s chaotic during the week here - juggling two businesses - but you can remove yourself from that chaos of the city whenever you want. Everything we have here is an absolute dream.”
A fresh start
Benjemen Elengoven, the 34-year old CEO and founder of MyGigsters, came to Australia as an international student from India in 2015. While doing a master’s degree at La Trobe University in Melbourne, he picked up work driving for a rideshare company and doing other odd jobs through Airtasker.
It was this experience - of both the good and the bad of the gig economy - that inspired MyGigsters, a financial service platform for self-employed workers in Australia. The startup helps workers with everything from tax accounting to income protection, and it all came to life in South Australia.
Elengoven says Adelaide is the perfect place to grow both career and family.
Elengoven and his family moved to Adelaide with sponsorship from the Supporting Innovation in South Australia (SISA) scheme. This helped Elengoven secure permanent residency in Australia and allowed him to dig into his startup, as well as settle into the city with his partner and two children.
While he acknowledges that many people say the key to a successful startup is being embedded in the action of a big city, Elengoven believes his home in Adelaide has been a key driver of his success.
“The pandemic changed the nature of work and we’ve seen more talent moving into South Australia,” he says. “And that’s going to continue. If you’re looking for a place where you could have a really good hustle, while looking after your family and mental health, Adelaide is a beautiful place to do that.”
Are you ready to find your New State of Mind? Relocate your potential to South Australia.
