Stefan Hair Fashions_Early_1DanAndSteph ResizeYet again I have allowed this blog to lie fallow for months while overwhelmed with paid work. Not quite sure why but things have been frantic here at Epistlinginthedark Enterprises for the last few months. In short order I’ve been asked to: spend a week hiking around Tasmania’s Bay of Fires for a travel-writing gig, author a 13,000 word e-Book on moving to New Zealand for one of the big four banks, take on the editorship of a custom magazine that’s being relaunched, churn out an academic journal’s worth of articles on the world-beating achievements of Australian scientists for my good friends at Australia Unlimited, interview the painter who won My Kitchen Rules for The Tradie and do a big profile of hairdresser and entrepreneur extraordinaire Stefan Ackerie for a superyacht magazine I occasionally contribute to. If I can find the time I will go into more detail about all of the above in future posts but I have to say speaking to Stefan was the most surprisingly enjoyable assignment of the lot, and not just because he insisted on sending me a big box of haircare products (conditioner for comment?) and inviting me to drop by and drink his “fine wine” next time I’m up Brisvegas way.
As something of a budding journopreneur myself it was inspiring to speak to a man who arrived in Australia as a penniless immigrant back in 1957, built a thriving business empire while remaining a decent human being and now, at an age when most would be drifting into retirement, is as fired up as ever about pursuing new opportunities. Will provide a link to the profile when it’s published in July but for now let me just put on the record this humble blog’s admiration for one of the few entrepreneurs who came to attention in the ’80s and who didn’t end up bankrupt, in gaol or hiding from the authorities in Majorca.