Olivia ‘Liv’ Sullivan felt nervous – butterflies in her stomach. She was about to run a client meeting for the first time in front of friendly but powerful managers and executives from a brand she loved and admired – Tiger Lily.
It’s hard to believe that just a year or two earlier she had only just entered Growth Huntr agency as a newbie – fresh out of uni. Hired as a graduate.
She hadn’t even studied business marketing. She’d studied tourism and events. But when the time came for her to graduate, COVID happened, shutting down largescale events practically overnight.
“It was quite nerve wracking,” Liv smiles, thinking back to that first time she ran a meeting.
“The general manager there was super lovely. But even so – very intimidating for someone in their mid-20s to be giving advice to CEOs about how to optimise their business.
“You do have a bit of imposter syndrome.”
How Growth Huntr started
Liv is one of the 15 UniSC graduates who are now working at Growth Huntr – a Sunshine Coast-based marketing agency specialising in e-commerce.
Opening in 2019, the expanding business now employs about 35 people, meaning UniSC graduates account for nearly half the staff there – an incredible ratio.
Chief operating officer Jack Carew – a relaxed and friendly character who looks like he’d be just as comfortable on a farm as in an office – says they hire based primarily on attitude.
“Attitude is the main thing,” he says. “We can train skills. But you can't train attitude so that's what we always look for in our hiring process, people that just seem like young go getters.
“We’ve managed to build a team of people that are just all ambitious. They want to grow, they want to learn, they don't want to sit still – and that is a very good attitude to have.”
The shared attitude at Growth Huntr is immediately obvious from the moment you walk in the open-plan offices. A few rows of staff stretch down the centre of the room, engaged and focussed on the computers in front of them.
But when it comes time to look away from screens, they’re fun, bubbly – joking with each other in way that makes the easy rapport obvious to onlookers.
It’s an attitude that seems to come from the top down. Jack, who started the agency with his brother Harry, comes across as a likeable but driven character who describes himself as a country boy from Rosewood at heart.
Having previously owned a paintball field set on 120 acres, Jack sold that business when his brother moved back from living in Singapore, where he’d been working for Meta.
The two started the agency from their house in Ipswich, landing some good, solid clients such as online retailers Peppermayo and Hello Molly early on, allowing them to relocate to the Sunshine Coast within a mere two months of starting operations.
They originally hired mates to help them manage their expanding business footprint. But by 2021, it became clear they would need to branch out further afield.
“We held an immersion day, where we went through team building exercises and looked at basic marketing skills – we were looking for entry-level people who were interested in the industry.
“We hired three people from that day – two of those were from UniSC.”
It’s a trend that has continued ever since.
Liv’s start at Growth Huntr
One of those original two UniSC graduates was Liv, who started in a junior role creating ads and supporting account specialists. Three years later, she’s now leading teams, training more junior employees and leading client meetings.
“I think having that foundation from a Bachelor of Business really gave me a good understanding about things like consumer behaviour, for example – it really helped me understand those drivers when it comes to making a purchase,” Liv says.
“It has definitely been a big journey – Growth Huntr has given me so many opportunities. I’ve been able to work with some pretty massive brands, which you don't really expect to happen on the Sunshine Coast.”
Tourism, Leisure and Event Management senior lecturer Dr Aaron Tham said a defining characteristic of all successful UniSC students and graduates was an ability to adapt and apply knowledge learned through the degree to new landscapes and environments.
“All our students, no matter what they major in, learn to develop business products and services, identify and analyse markets, and think creatively and critically to solve business problems – all practical skills needed in any modern business setting,” Dr Tham said.
“Coupled, with hands-on learning opportunities through our industry partnerships, our students graduate ready to work in any business environment.”
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