News

• Buy From The Bush, in partnership with PayPal Australia, launches inaugural ‘Buy From The Bush – Big Break’ online pitch competition
• $60,000 prize pool up for grabs, backing big ideas from the bush
• From paddock ponderings to kitchen table concepts – now is the time to have a crack!

Today, Buy From The Bush (BFTB), in partnership with PayPal Australia, has launched a new national competition for rural entrepreneurs and bush businesses, ‘Buy From The Bush – Big Break’. The competition calls on Aussies from the bush to pitch their great business idea via social media for their chance to win a share of the $60,000 prize pool to upscale or kick-start their business.

“We are calling on founders, entrepreneurs, or people who have been talking about their business idea for years but just need a little push, to stand up and pitch their idea to the universe. And by universe, I mean social media,” says Grace Brennan, founder of Buy From The Bush.

Unlike many other small business pitch contests, Buy From The Bush – Big Break has a low barrier to entry. The first round of judging will evaluate pitches shared as 15 second Instagram reels along with an accompanying uploaded 3-minute video pitch.

“Buy From The Bush started as an Instagram account showcasing the beautiful things available to buy from rural communities facing drought. I wanted to support other big ideas from the bush and give other innovative rural businesses the chance for their ‘big break’. It’s only natural we’d use social media as a channel to make entering easy and accessible.

“It may be a mere seedling of an idea, a proof of concept or an existing bush business that needs a little boost to get to the next level. We are looking for creative ideas that have strong market potential and will deliver positive outcomes to local rural communities,” says Grace.

Grace will be joined by a panel of notable judges who will use their business expertise to review and select the top entries, including Jane Cay, founder of birdsnest (Australian-made fashion), Liandra Gaykamangu, founder of Liandra Swim (fusing Aboriginal Australian Culture with premium designer swimwear) and Marco Steinhauer, Finance Director at PayPal Australia.

How it Works
Entrants aged 18 and over and based in rural Australian locations can enter by:

      1.  Visiting the Buy From The Bush – Big Break landing page to complete an
           online entry form.
      2.  Uploading a 2-3 minute pitch video, outlining their business offering,
           product idea or plan to scale their existing business.
      3.  Posting a 15 second Instagram Reel selling their business/product idea in a fun
           and engaging way, on their Instagram account. Instagram Reels must include
           the following handles and tags in the caption: @buyfromthebush @paypalau
           #buyfromthebush, #BFTBbigbreak #BFTBxPayPal. If posting to a personal
           Instagram account, make sure it’s on public!

Entries will be judged on how effectively the pitch tells the story of their idea, the uniqueness of the idea, commercial appeal and market potential, whether the idea will have a positive impact on the business’ local community and capability of the founder.

The panel of judges will then hand pick the top 10 entries who will be invited to submit a short-form business plan and pitch their idea to the experts for their chance to win the top prize of:

   •   $30,000 to start-up or scale
   •   Free access to the Buy From The Bush marketplace for 1 Year
   •   Membership to the BFTB Bush Business Club on Facebook
   •   A Digital Marketing Accreditation grant,
   •   PR Package from The Regional PR Co,
   •   Subscription to an online course and mentoring with Start Lab.

The runner up will receive $15,000 and the Australian public will also have the chance to vote on the top 10 entries for a People’s Choice prize of $15,000, via buyfromthebush.com.au.

Eric Lassen, Chief Executive Officer at PayPal Australia said, “PayPal is passionate about supporting small businesses, by giving them the backing and the tools that they need to succeed. When Buy From The Bush told us about their idea to launch a competition for rural entrepreneurs, we didn’t hesitate to get involved. We can’t wait to see the brilliant ideas that are out there, and to give the winners the boost that they need to get off the ground.”

Entries are now open until 11:59pm on Monday, 11 October. For more information and terms & conditions, visit Buy From The Bush Big Break .