Several failed attempts at growing his own food prompted Vegepod founder Matt Harris to put on his thinking cap to invent a garden bed that makes looking after crops as easy as 1-2-3.

“After failing to grow my own veggies, I realised there must be a lot of people out there like me so I worked to solve the problems associated with urban farming and invented the Vegepod,” he explains.

Harris’s initial invention in 2009 was a hard plastic garden bed that could be used to plant veges or herbs. Whilst simple to use it had some impracticalities. In 2011 he tweaked the design to become the portable garden solution it’s known as today. Soon after Matt was joined in the business by his brother Paul and friend Simon (Holloway) and the trio set up their headquarters in Sydney’s northern suburbs, shipping out vegepods all over the state.

Inspecting seedlings at Vegepod HQ

“I’ve been with Matt and Paul since the very beginning of Vegepod when we were local to Terrey Hills,” says Holloway. “Since then it’s been fantastic to watch us grow locally and internationally.”

An avid garden lover, Holloway says it’s hard to find a better industry than horticulture.

“It invariably makes people happy and healthy, both in body and mind. That in turn makes me stoked. It’s not a slogan, it’s just reality that the Vegepod has made edible gardening available to absolutely everyone, in any location, whatever the abode, every single day and without fail.”

Little wonder, the business piqued the interest of Shark Tank judges in 2016. Looking to expand internationally, founder, Matt, appeared on the show seeking a $75,000 investment for a ten per cent stake in the business, along with a $150,000 loan to help Vegepod expand into the US.

There’s a plenty of room for growth in the Vegepod

RedBalloon head honcho and Shark Tank judge Naomi Simson know a good thing when she sees it and took the bait, investing in the brand which has since gone from strength to strength. Now available in 19 countries around the world, Simson says Vegepod’s success comes down to the brand’s passion ad purpose to give every person the opportunity to be able to grow their own food.

The pandemic also delivered an unexpected boost to the business, as 1000s of people embraced their inner gardener during lockdown. Vegepod sales rose by a whopping 500 per cent and the brand also launched its next iteration – the Vegebag. Featuring the same mesh and watering system as its big brother, the Vegebag gardening system protects your veggies and herbs and helps provide an amazing growth rate.  The Vegebag scored The Garden Product of the Year at the 2020 RHS Chelsea Flower Show – quite the accolade. It’s a great win for the company which celebrates a decade in business this month.

Look at these beautiful tricolour carrots!

Simon Holloway shares ten lessons from ten years in biz.

1. Give back

Companies, just like individuals, have a moral obligation to give back to their spheres from which they benefit at all levels. In other words, to one’s local community, to the broader society and to the planet. If it’s not contrived, the old “give and thou shalt receive” tends to manifest a return to boot.

2. ‘Pearls are made from agitation’

It’s true, literally and metaphorically. If you do not constantly question, debate, hustle or play devil’s advocate as a habit, then what was once ‘the world is your oyster’, will instead be a short-lived bounty. Your oyster will rot and not produce the pearls of wisdom or the precious stones you seek. Keep moving, keep agitating.

3. Content, tone, manner and positioning matter

One of my daughter’s high school teachers once commented about her group’s struggles with phones and comms saying “Just because one grows up with technology doesn’t mean one is good with technology”.  There is an important takeaway here for businesses too.  Older staff tend to shy away from tech and online platforms whilst the young staff will gravitate towards it. Just because they understand the technology or medium better, you still should be ‘present’, advising on both its use and the messaging itself. The content, positioning, tone, manners and tactics used are still just as important as ever, irrespective of the medium. Get involved, work it, manage it.

4. Surround yourself with people not like you at work

It will drive you crazy occasionally and even make you question your life’s direction at times, but that is healthy and indeed critical for a successful business. The more differing skills and personalities you have, the stronger your team and business will be.

5. Listen to your gut

Don’t let it be the only guide in business, but let it be heard and influence the decision-making process. Evolution over millennia have given us this superpower, use it.

Inspecting the produce.

6. Be authentic

If you manufacture or sell a product, ensure every single staff member has one and uses one where possible, and I mean everyone – from your cleaners to the CEO, from your reps to the factory workers. Extend it to your contractors as well such as your accountants, lawyers and PR agency. A keen, healthy and authentic culture across your team, company and brand will percolate noticeably and create positive results in ways you won’t even expect.

7. Brand matters

In the end, your brand is everything to continued success. Even if copycats appear, staff change, products evolve or directions diverge, if your brand is strong you have created a formidable force.

8. Customer service is critical

In reflecting your brand, who you are and what you stand for. Despite the appeal of lower expenses by outsourcing it overseas, customer service should be kept locally and also prioritised with training and attention. There is much more beyond a bunch of anecdotal happy customers it will bring you. There are plenty of major Aussie companies that still ignore this.

9. Make person to person connections

The more face-to-face meetings you can organise, including interstate and overseas, the better. A video call is never as good. Anyone who doesn’t get why should not be in a role that involves dealing with people, whatever the role. Some simple reasons include picking up body language beyond the face, experiencing the energies between people and the other opportunities for engagement or extension beyond the actual meeting.

10. Make time to disconnect

Lock your mobile phone way for a few hours on the weekend. If not good for you (which it will be!), then at the very least it will be good for your family and friends.  Healthy disconnection periods mean healthier connection periods once back at work anyway.

You can find out more about Vegepod here