24/06/2026
A question I've been asking myself lately is: How many great Australian businesses never failed...
After 35 years working with founders and innovators, I've seen something that rarely appears in business books.
The hardest part of building a business isn't the technology.
It isn't the competition.
It isn't even finding customers.
It's carrying the weight of uncertainty for years at a time.
Most people see the product launch.
They see the award.
They see the growth.
What they don't see are the nights wondering whether payroll can be met.
The weekends spent fixing problems nobody else understands.
The sacrifices made by spouses and families.
The years spent hearing "no" before finally hearing "yes."
Innovation sounds exciting when you're reading about it.
Living it is something else entirely.
Many founders spend years solving problems for people they will never meet.
Building products that may not succeed.
Taking risks that most people would never consider.
And they do it knowing there are no guarantees.
That's why I've always believed innovation deserves support.
Not because every idea will work.
But because every innovator has already invested something incredibly valuable.
Themselves.
Their time.
Their energy.
Their belief.
Over the years, we've helped secure funding for many thousands of Australian businesses.
Yet the conversations I remember most are not about the dollars.
They're about the moments when someone realised they could keep going.
One more experiment.
One more prototype.
One more opportunity.
Sometimes that's all a business needs.
Not certainty.
Just the chance to continue.
Behind every successful company is usually someone who refused to quit when quitting would have been the easier option.
And in my experience and resilience has created more successful businesses than brilliance ever has.
Share your story? I would love to hear it.
Bruce Patten
