When Ben Young first pitched his idea for reusable coffee cups, his business strategy colleagues dismissed it.

“The smartest guys in the room said it was silly; I was being an idiot because why would you have a reusable cup when [you] can just put the old one in the bin, not think about it anymore, and get on with [your] day,” recalls Young.

But after seeing first hand the effects single-use plastics have on the environment while working at Cleanaway Waste Management, he knew he was on to something – and he kick-started Frank Green.

On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams sits down with the founder to find out how he harnessed an environmental movement to build one of the country’s most well-known brands.

This podcast was sponsored by Sinch Engage.

Further reading:

Nicole Eckels’ multimillion-dollar idea was right under her nose

The Glasshouse Fragrances CEO has grown her company into a $100 million global powerhouse, with products stocked in more than 10 countries.

Bill Beament led a 1¢ company. Now it’s Australia’s biggest gold miner

The West Australian who transformed Northern Star took home $60 million last year. Now, the Develop Global CEO is zeroing in on critical minerals.

When Ben Young first pitched his idea for reusable coffee cups, his business strategy colleagues dismissed it. &ldquo;The smartest guys in the room said it was silly; I was being an idiot because why would you have a reusable cup when [you] can just put the old one in the bin, not think about it anymore, and get on with [your] day,&rdquo; recalls Young. But after seeing first hand the effects single-use plastics have on the environment while working at Cleanaway Waste Management, he knew he was on to something &ndash; and he kick-started Frank Green.
On this week&rsquo;s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams sits down with the founder to find out how he harnessed an environmental movement to build one of the country&rsquo;s most well-known brands.
This podcast was sponsored by&nbsp;<a href="http://sinchengage.com/">Sinch Engage</a>.
Further reading:
<a href="https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/fashion-and-style/how-a-former-make-up-artist-built-a-100m-home-scent-brand-20260831-p60t0m?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=how_i_made_it&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">Nicole Eckels&rsquo; multimillion-dollar idea was right under her nose</a>
The Glasshouse Fragrances CEO has grown her company into a $100 million global powerhouse, with products stocked in more than 10 countries.
<a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/this-miner-took-home-60m-last-year-here-s-where-he-s-targeting-next-20260824-p60qwe?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=how_i_made_it&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom" data-testid="headlineLink">Bill Beament led a 1&cent; company. Now it&rsquo;s Australia&rsquo;s biggest gold miner</a>
The West Australian who transformed Northern Star took home $60 million last year. Now, the Develop Global CEO is zeroing in on critical minerals.

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams & Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams &amp; Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia&rsquo;s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.