Backing Business: Playing The Long Game

Three Australian businesses share how they are adapting, taking calculated risks and building resilience for the long term.​

Read the excerpt from Backing Business, Summer 2026 below.

Backing Business: The Change Makers

The business environment rarely stands still. Customer expectations shift, costs rise, regulations evolve and new challenges can emerge without warning.​

For many business owners, success isn't just about responding to what's happening today. It's about making decisions that help build a stronger business for tomorrow.​

In this edition of Backing Business, we meet two businesses taking different approaches to long-term growth. One has transformed a local butcher shop into a growing wholesale operation. The other has spent more than two decades navigating economic cycles and industry change in the home building sector.​

Story: Helen Hawkes​

Meaty's Butcher​

Updating the best of butcher shop traditions for today's customers. ​

The suburb of Stanmore, in Sydney's edgy inner west, went for almost three decades without a butcher's shop. Then, in May 2025, a trio of young butchers opened Meaty's Butcher, bringing a fresh approach to traditional butchery.​

Today, Lucas Robinson, Matt Derrick and Cameron Sherwood not only cater to the area's rapidly changing demographic, but have become the go-to for some of its hippest restaurants and pubs.​

Their plan for the long term is to open more stores that stay true to their nose-to-tail, responsibly sourced, high-quality meat philosophy. Meaty's meat is grass-fed, grass-finished and hormone-free, and mostly sourced locally.​

"Our customers want quality produce from local suppliers, with old-fashioned customer service, not some vacuum-packed piece of meat they have no idea about where it came from or how long it's been sitting on the shelf," says Lucas. With a chopping block the centrepiece of the store, Meaty's no-waste approach is on display. The trio also make smallgoods, homemade sauces and ready-to-go meals on site.​

Add in modern conveniences such as online ordering and next-day home delivery and it's not hard to see how these three butchers are building a thriving business.​

Stepping into the unknown​

Going into the venture with only their own money, Lucas, Matt and Cam initially looked at butcher shops for sale that were already equipped. Prices were prohibitive. After more than a year of searching, they found a wholesale bakery with exposed brick that they sealed, decorative ceilings they had restored, plus a walk-in freezer and fridges that saved them some money.​

"The scary part was seeing if we could make the space work. There were lots of things we didn't consider the cost of enough," Lucas says.​

That included waste management, grease trap cleaning and other overheads.​

Meaty's now has a business overdraft to help manage cash flow, as well as equipment finance to help purchase equipment for their wholesale business.​

"Having someone to talk to, who looks after our interests, has really helped," adds Lucas. "Kevin Kim, our banker, slotted right in." ​

A big risk that paid off​

While retail was Meaty's early earner, supplying meat trays to local pubs has cascaded into a wholesale business catering to inner west venues.​

"Hospitality venues have become our main business. It's the biggest pivot we've made and it's been quite daunting," says Lucas.​

"It's a lot more work, with less markup, and you need a lot more product."​

For the long game, the trio is planning to open more stores around the inner west.​

"No matter how big we grow though, we never want to lose our community aspect or core values."​

Format Homes

Adapting fast to changing regulations and external economic shocks to keep building homes. ​

Home building businesses have experienced more than their share of highs and lows in the past few decades. There are the rising costs of materials and fuel because of conflicts on the other side of the globe, supply chain delays and a shortage of skilled labour.​

It's not news to former real estate agent Frank Formato, founder of Format Homes in Adelaide, and his son Marco.​

Their construction business has been playing the long game and building resilience since the year 2000.​

"Our industry is also probably one of the most heavily regulated in Australia," says Marco, who recently moved into the Executive Director's role at the family business.​

"We've just had to keep adapting.”​

Putting out fires​

Format Homes employs 25 staff but has at least 200 sub-contractors and, at any one time, is building 100 homes.​

Marco says changes to the policy environment in 2019 created uncertainty for some customers. And a matter of months later, the COVID pandemic brewed a perfect storm.​

"It hurt us initially because sales shut down," recalls Marco.​

Issues cropped up when more people decided to renovate or build while they were at home in lockdown.​

"We were locked into fixed price contracts, then hit with massive delays in getting plans approved, and engineer report times drew out. Materials weren't available, we couldn't get trades, and everyone's price was going up," says Marco. 

Grit and determination​

A series of business loans and an overdraft from Westpac, put in place as a back-up, helped smooth the way.​

"We currently have two loan facilities in place that we haven't touched. We check the account daily, and we closely monitor cash flow." ​

Earlier this year, with fuel and material costs again soaring due to supply chain delays, Marco and Frank were anticipating another business shock, but recent policy changes have contributed to renewed confidence in the market.​

Now the long game is increasing the number of display homes, expanding the sales team and tendering for larger projects.​

"We're also rolling out artificial intelligence in different areas of the business to see where we can improve productivity."​

So how have they coped so well with crises?​

"It wasn't pretty," says Marco. "It was grit and determination. We learnt what required extra spending and what we could economise on."

Keep reading

The change makers featured here are just some of the business owners sharing their experiences in the Summer 2026 edition of Backing Business. Download the full magazine for more real-world stories, expert perspectives and ideas for building long-term business resilience.