The award winning entrepreneur behind Macro Mike.
The award winning entrepreneur behind Macro Mike.
Mike Kellett is the Gold Coast entrepreneur behind Macro Mike, one of Australia’s fastest growing health food companies. Kellett, an ex-fitness model and bodybuilder started the business because he is gluten and dairy intolerant and found a gap in the market for people with food sensitivities. We chatted to Mike about his growing business, the surprising number of Gold Coasters that can be found in active wear drinking coffee at all hours and why he loves this part of the world.
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I’ve been a Gold Coast local for 9 years now. I’m originally from Leeds in the United Kingdom. I spent a year living in Las Vegas before meeting a bunch of wild Aussies heading home to sell pub crawls for this event they told me was called ‘Schoolies’ on the Gold Coast. I came over to see what all the fuss was about and never left.
What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
For me, after spending 3-4 years as a Personal Trainer in Leeds training corporates in the 9-5 hustle and bustle I was ready for a chilled-out lifestyle.
I like the fact that it doesn’t feel like a rat race 24/7. Our traffic is minimal compared to other major cities and especially the UK. I like how no matter what time or day it is thousands of people seem to be unemployed and are in their active wear grabbing a coffee or having breakfast at 10am without a care in the world.
But most of all the weather. The cold dark winters of the UK are depressing and here it’s literally warm year round. I LOVE IT! Take the jet ski out to Tipplers, catch some waves, enjoy some pool time and then enjoy all the local Uber Eats.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Mike, 32 years old from the UK. I’ve got 1 brother who lives in Newcastle, NSW, with his wife and my nephew Jude, who’s 5. My Mum raised me and my brother as a single mum working 7 days a week to put food on the table and make sure we had enough. She was the biggest hustler and instilled the hard work and drive I have today.
I run Macro Mike. We’re a self-funded health food business based in Burleigh Heads with 35+ staff. We make products for ourselves and some of the biggest brands in Australia along with shipping out anywhere from 5000-10,000 online orders a month.
For those that don’t know, what is Macro Mike?
Macro Mike is a plant based, gluten free, dairy free and natural supplement brand. We pride ourselves on our unique blend of natural ingredients and have brought plant based / dairy free proteins into 2023 using game-changing ingredients and challenging the status quo. We have customers all over the world and a range of over 100 products.
Our business is heavily online but you can also find us in Coles, heaps of health food, supplement stores and gyms around Australia.
How did Macro Mike come to be?
I’m both gluten and dairy intolerant and an ex-competitive fitness model and bodybuilder and after prepping for various shows I found there wasn’t anything on the market for people like me with food allergies and intolerances in the dessert space.
I started off making the products for myself and then gave them to friends/ family and started posting on social media and the rest was history. 7 years of blood sweat and tears and we’re here with over 1 million customers worldwide.
What have been some of your highlights and learning experiences along the way?
Running a business is like a bamboo tree. The bamboo tree takes 5 years of watering and fertilising the ground. After the 5th year within 12 weeks, it sprouts from the ground it grows to be the tallest tree in the rainforest. Same with business.
It can take years and years of hustling and pioneering behind the scenes before there’s even the slightest bit of growth for people on the outside to see and if for 1 week or 1 month you stop working on your business or watering your bamboo tree it’ll never reach it’s true potential.
What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever been given?
Don’t fund long-term assets with short-term cash flow. Eg if you’re buying a piece of equipment that you’ll have for many years, don’t use cash in the bank. Put it over 5-6 years and pay it off over time. Save your cash for when you need it most. Work hard and stay humble. There’s always a bigger fish than you and there’s always someone worth sending the elevator down to or giving a helping hand to who’s striving to get to where you are.
What makes running a business on the Gold Coast so great?
I mean the weather, the lifestyle, the people, the location. We’re in Burleigh Heads. Does it get much better? Food, coffee, good vibes. Plus, who would want to live in Brisbane? (No offense Brisbane readers lols).
With such a variety of products, from protein bars to baking mixes, what’s the most popular product and do you have a personal favourite?
Our most popular product is our Vanilla Buttercream Almond Protein. It’s made on our signature Almond and Faba bean base and literally tastes like a Vanilla Milkshake. Completely plant based, dairy free and easy to digest. My personal fav is our Protein Caramel indulgence bars. These are like if a protein bar and chocolate bar had a baby. Again dairy free, gluten free all natural and taste like a chocolate bar YUMMM! Brb having another!
What are your Gold Coast Favourites:
Café: Blendlove in Southport for the pancakes.
Restaurant: Changmai Thai, Broadbeach.
Bar: I don’t drink so maybe a chocolate bar.
Beach: I like North Burleigh / Miami lookout. I’ve done a lot of thinking up there. Great place to clear your head and appreciate your surroundings.
How do you choose to spend your days off?
What’s a day off? Just kidding. I spend time with my little 4 month old Jack and partner Laura. I collect/buy & sell Pokemon cards, have a 1978 classic Mini Cooper and I like spending time with friends playing boardgames or eating out at nice restaurants.
Meet the local lad who created AlphaFit, the Gold Coast based manufacturer and supplier of high spec gym equipment. Yes that’s right, that gear you’re using in your gym, may just be locally made on the good ol’ GC. So we sat down for a chat with the talented Jamie Montesalvo about why he decided to enter into the competitive fitness field, why AlphaFit’s equipment are abs-olutely better than the rest and how they’re continuing to set the barbell high.
How long have you both been a Gold Coast local?
My family moved to the Gold Coast when I was two, so I think of myself as a Gold Coaster. I went to LA for a gap year that ended up lasting nine years but have been back since.
What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
The opportunities and experiences the Gold Coast presents for us day in, day out. There are not too many places I know of where we get such easy access to a balanced professional and personal life. From beaches and waterways to the rainforests in our hinterland, there is always something new to discover. On a business perspective, I believe our industrial sector is reinvigorating itself. The Gold Coast is world class in so many fields these days, so we don’t need to look far for the resources we need to be part of this.
Tell us a little bit about yourself .
I am the eldest of eight children who all grew up here on the Gold Coast. Six of us have lived overseas at different times but we are all back home now. When I was 21, I was lucky to be offered a job I did not know I wanted. A quick two-week holiday in the US helping build show cars for Subaru America’s booth at SEMA turned into a full-time position in LA. This ended up being a nine year “holiday” of what was basically traveling North and Central America racing cars, riding dirt bikes, wakeboarding, camping, eating and experiencing the many micro cultures of the US. I moved back when I was 30 and joined in the family’s contract steel manufacturing business, Allplates. A couple of years later, AlphaFit was born.
For those that don’t know what is AlphaFit?
Based on the Gold Coast, AlphaFit is a manufacturer and supplier of Australian made gym equipment specifically for the commercial, strength and conditioning, functional fitness, and high-performance communities. I founded AlphaFit with my brother Bobby in 2012 after building a few custom pieces for local gyms. The Australian market is inundated with budget competitors that solely operate on importing gym equipment. AlphaFit’s unique position has always centred on its purpose and vision for Australian made and innovative fitness gear giving us a unique competitive advantage.
How did ALPHAFIT come about?
I started my fitness journey in 2012 by trialling different training techniques. This is where I met several gym owners that were facing issues with their gym gear and the ability to source specific equipment. Conversations became interesting when they found out I owned Allplates, a steel manufacturing business centred around the design and fabrication of multiple products for a diverse range of industries.
I put my experience and design thoughts together and started making custom pieces of equipment for these gyms. Because I was local, the gyms were able to use the equipment and review them with me. Quite quickly and organically, we started receiving calls from other industry members asking for custom made equipment which led us to launch AlphaFit. The requests for custom made equipment have been the driving force behind our fast growth and expansion since our inception 10 years ago and will continue to be moving forward. Our success has come from us being able to be dynamic and adjust to market needs, and being more of a solution partner rather than an equipment supplier.
How important is it to you that AlphaFit is Australian made?
There is nothing more important to me! Right from the start, AlphaFit’s purpose has been simple: to deliver high-quality Australian made fitness equipment. I am a third generation Australian manufacturer, it’s in my blood.
One of my proudest achievements was being selected by the Australian Made Campaign to host the launch of the first-ever Australian Made Week (24-30 May 2021) – a national campaign to encourage Australians to purchase genuine Australian products. The inaugural event communicated the importance of supporting Australian businesses and shone an international spotlight on AlphaFit’s world-class manufacturing operations right here on the Gold Coast.
As an entrepreneur, what are the biggest challenges you have faced?
The biggest issues have been employing the right people and dealing with the costs of competing on a global scale. As our production has picked up, it’s been increasingly clear that there are serious skills shortages in the manufacturing industry on the Gold Coast. We’ve invested heavily in manufacturing equipment and are focused on hiring, retaining and upskilling our staff to keep up with our business plan.
Another challenge is accepting that while I want to manufacture everything in Australia, I have to accept that we will need to import some items. To make sure that we control our own destiny, we have local design engineers who specify design criteria for anything that is not made here. It’s hard as an entrepreneur to let go, but I am happy that we control the design and supply chain to ensure the quality is to AlphaFit standards.
The other was and still is learning to let go that I can no long do everything, trust the people I surround myself with. AlphaFit is somewhat an extension of myself and handing off portions so I can focus on areas I love and our strategic growth is something I still struggle with on a day-to-day basis but hopefully (for my staff) I am slowly getting better at.
What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever been given?
This is a tough one as advice is a dime a dozen and often given over a few too many drinks…
What has been the best piece for me was not advice at all, it was the work ethic that has been instilled in me by my father by not just what he said, but what he did. This work ethic has always been entrenched in my family’s life and we believe this is behind the success in both life and also businesses that my brothers and sisters have started and grown.
What makes running a business on the Gold Coast so great?
The work-life balance we have! Almost everything I want is right here and easily accessible. After spending nine years in LA dealing with traffic that could be a 30min or a 2.5 hour drive to work/home each day you really do appreciate how great the Gold Coast is. Getting up early and enjoying the beach or one of our many local gyms and cafes before heading to work, then having the time to do what ever you want in the evening is something special about this place. Everything is here!
What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café/Coffee spot: Commune Burleigh
Restaurant: Social Eating House
Bar or place for a drink: Edgewater Dining
Beach: Wave Break
How do you choose to spend your days off?
Eating out, somewhere on the broad water boating or hanging with family and friends.
After 15 years competing as an IronMan Matt Poole announced his retirement earlier this year. In a fitting full-circle moment his last competition was held at Kurrawa, where he made his debut in 2007. We chatted to the new father about his drive to become a professional sportsman, what he loves about the Gold Coast and why he won’t be waiting for a cooked duck to land in his mouth!
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I moved to the Gold Coast from Sydney when I was 18. I’ve been here on the GC the entire time except for 6 years on the Sunshine Coast.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I moved to the GC at 18 to pursue my sporting dream of becoming a professional IronMan, I spent 15 years racing professionally only just retiring earlier this year in April. Highlights of my sporting career include winning the 2017 Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain IronMan series, 2022 Shaw & Partners Shannon Eckstein Ironman classic, 2014 Molokai2Oahu World paddle board championships and winning gold at the ISA games in Fiji for team Australia. Outside of my sporting career I’ve got two businesses where I am a co-owner, MAMAN Bar & Kitchen in James St Burleigh and Gravity Seltzer.
Who/what inspired you to pursue a professional career as an ironman?
I grew up at the beach and fell in love with the ocean from a very young age. My Dad would take me in the water with him and pushed me into waves on a surfboard. I played a lot of sports growing up, but Surf Life Saving was my calling and through my teenage years really started to succeed and do well. I first qualified for the professional Ironman series at age 18.
Do you have any advice for aspiring athletes?
The life of a professional athlete is tough.. it takes hard work, dedication, sacrifice and resilience. Work hard, enjoy what you are doing and make it your passion!
How do you define success?
Success can be defined or measured a million different ways from a million different people. For me specifically success was always determined by training, racing and competing at my optimum. Winning races is the ultimate reflection of success, but sometimes for me I raced amazing, didn’t win and still deemed it a success.
In 2020 you teamed up with Oli Frost on opening Maman Bar and Kitchen. What made you want to get into the hospitality scene on the Gold Coast?
Oli Frost is a good friend of mine, he’s got one of the best business minds I know so when he came to me with an opportunity to partner up with him and launch MAMAN here on the Gold Coast, I jumped at it! We opened at the start of Covid which was always a risk, but even that aside we have continued to grow from strength to strength and are now a known and loved restaurant here on the coast.
You announced your retirement from competition earlier this year. Talk us through that decision.
I announced my retirement earlier this year in Feb, I still had a few more major events to round out the season but the timing felt right. 15 years racing professionally and I never left a stone unturned with my training and preparation. It takes its toll on the body physically and also mentally. I love racing and I love winning, when you lose motivation and you’re constantly getting injured it makes training suffer which in turn affects performance.. having said that, after I announced my retirement, I had my best results in Kellogg’s & Summer of Surf series races, but I enjoyed to go out on top, haha.
What’s next for Matt Poole?
My life has transitioned/ changed massively since finishing up my athlete career. I now have my beautiful daughter Posy who is 4 months old, I’m working with Gravity Seltzer to unlock new venues on and off premise for both our alcoholic and Non- Alcoholic range. I’m working on a podcast which is set to launch early 2023 and I’m also doing some commentary work with ch7 this season for Summer of Surf.
Health and wellness is obviously an integral part of your life, how do you intend to continue to incorporate that into your daily routine?
I thought after retirement I would take a long hiatus from any forms of training, however I quickly realised how much I love and miss that feeling you get after a hard session. Although I’m not training like a professional athlete, I still love staying fit and healthy. Mostly I go to gym, run, ocean swim, surf and a little Ocean Ski paddling.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
Best advice I have ever been given… It’s more of a quote but it’s still advice: “The hunter who waits for the cooked duck to land in his mouth, is going to be a hungry hunter” – It’s weird, but since retiring I’ve realised you have to work hard for everything in life. You can’t just wait around for opportunities to land at your doorstep.
What do you love most about living on the Gold Coast?
I love the beaches, restaurants and warm weather! I live a stone’s throw from the beach and waking up, going for a morning ocean swim and grabbing a coffee on the way home is the perfect way to start any day!
Do you have any Gold Coast favourites you keep going back to?
Café/Coffee spot: The Kiosk Burleigh Pav
Restaurant: MAMAN
Bar or place for a drink: Burleigh Pav
Beach: Burleigh
How do you choose to spend your weekends?
I love spending my weekends eating out, surfing, fishing and having a drink with mates.