All entrepreneurs start somewhere, and for Liam Austin, it was at Macquarie University. While completing his Bachelor of Commerce, he quickly realised his ambitions lay beyond the corporate ladder, towards an entrepreneurial future.

One class in particular set the stage for his journey, he explains: “We ran a virtual bicycle store, making different business decisions each week. The aim was to create the most valuable business,” Mr Austin reminisces. “I took the lead in my group and ran with it, gaining incredible insight into running a business and what drives success.” Inspired by this experience, he launched his first business during university, a move that sparked his journey into entrepreneurship.

“It pushed me to take risks, experiment, and ultimately shape the life I wanted,” Mr Austin says. He emphasises the advantages of starting early, noting, “It’s easier before responsibilities like mortgages and children make risk-taking harder.”

After graduating, Mr Austin pursued international work experiences and explored career opportunities abroad. It was during this time, while living in Barcelona, that he launched the Small Business Network on LinkedIn, to “create a space where people could learn from one another and share ideas,” he says.

While his initial startup – a property listing platform did not succeed as anticipated, that experience laid the foundation for his first major success. Entrepreneurs HQ, co-founded with his partner, Swedish entrepreneur Sarah Thorslund in 2015, was born of this learning.

Entrepreneurs HQ began as a global online summit featuring 35 speakers. Since its launch, the company has hosted more than 15 summits, featured over 400 speakers and generated more than 100,000 leads for participating businesses. Its fully online format has allowed Mr Austin and his partner to live and work from locations as diverse as Thailand, Stockholm, and now Malta.

“We wanted a business that gave us the freedom to travel and stay connected with our families,” he says.

Building on this success, Mr Austin co-established Talks.co to connect speakers and experts with digital opportunities. Described as a cross between LinkedIn and a TED Talk, the AI-driven platform provides users with a way to share their expertise and create engaging content.

“Everyone has knowledge and perspectives worth sharing,” Mr Austin says. “You don’t need to wait for permission.”

Reflecting on his journey, he tempers enthusiasm with realism. “Starting a business isn’t easy. It’s a lot of hard work and requires financial sacrifices,” he advises. Yet, for Mr Austin, the rewards far outweigh the challenges. “You get to create your own income, set your goals, and design your daily life. It’s a completely different energy than being stuck in a job you don’t enjoy.”

As he reflects on his time at Macquarie University, Mr Austin credits it with shaping his path. “The parts of my degree focused on big business gave me valuable insights into understanding large corporations. But stepping out of my comfort zone during experiments and group projects ultimately brought clarity to the type of career I wanted to pursue.”

Mr Austin’s journey exemplifies the diverse paths available to graduates. For those considering entrepreneurship, his advice is clear: “Don’t wait for the right opportunity – create your own. As the hockey coach Wayne Gretzky said, ‘You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take.’”

Liam Austin’s bio

Liam Austin graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Marketing) in 2004. As co-founder and CEO of Entrepreneurs HQ and Talks.co, he specialises in virtual summit production, online business growth strategies, partnership building and digital marketing.

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