Ever wanted to soak up wisdom from a Founder of a billion dollar wellness biz? This book is for you
Product Launch
07 February 2024
wanderlust.com.au
It's not every day you get to dive into the wisdom and way of thinking of a serial entrepreneur who sold a wellness empire for $2.1 billion dollars and is now building another. Did we mention he rose from a humble start as an usher at Village Cinema to become one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs who revolutionised the wellness industry?
Ethical investor and former Swisse CEO Radek Sali has just launched his debut book with the goal of inspiring entrepreneurs and all conscious consumers to create and scale successful and purpose-driven businesses for profit.
Co-written with award-winning small business leader and author Bernadette Schwerdt, “How to Build a Billion Dollar Business” exclusively unpacks how Sali’s unique approach to product, people and branding paired with challenges and failures along the way, took Swisse Wellness from an Australian favourite to a blockbuster that was sold for an unprecedented $2.1 billion dollars under his leadership.
Sali’s professional career started as a humble usher at his local Village Cinema before working his way up to Operations Manager. He then went on to join Swisse Wellness Group as Operations Manager in 2005 before becoming CEO. Sali then steered the company from an annual turnover of $15 million before leading one of the largest private business transactions in Australia when Swisse was sold to Hong Kong’s Biostime in 2015. 
Now the Executive Chair and Reinventor of leading supplement, wellness and lifestyle brand Wanderlust, Sali used the proceeds from the Swisse exit to set up conscious investment group Light Warrior with ex-Goldman Sachs banker Adam Gregory; investing in businesses that put culture first, are socially responsible and environmentally conscious.
In this book, you'll learn from Sali’s successes and his failures when it comes to developing a business plan, fostering loyalty and innovation in your team, building a thriving workplace culture rooted in values, and attracting and retaining customers who believe in your product and your mission.
Some of the key themes explored include:
- How to turn lemons into lemonade: What happens when Kim Kardashian doesn’t turn up for a paid appearance? How do you pivot when you lose millions of dollars trying to expand in the US market? Radek Sali should have been fired three times and almost went bankrupt during the Swisse sale.
- The power of brand ambassadors and influencer engagement: How Nicole Kidman saved Swisse and what it was like working with major local and international names including Robbie Williams, Sonia Kruger, Ricky Ponting and even Oprah Winfrey.
- Understanding how to play nice with investors: How to find the right investor for your big idea or business, even when you’re forced to play nice with people you may otherwise dislike? Learn what potential investors are likely to ask you and how to respond with confidence.
- Practical strategies for a happy, productive workplace: How to build a business that makes a real social or environmental difference in your community and is one that gives back and supports growth and wellness for all employees.
Commenting on his new book Radek Sali says: “In this book we share the process of reinvention that leads to disruption, whilst doing this with purpose and creating a workplace that is an outstanding place to be. In sharing my story, I am hoping to make your entrepreneurial journey easier and in turn recruit you to help make our world better. All driven by the unstoppable superpower we all have when following our intuition, Passion.”
How to Build a Billion Dollar Business: On Purpose, For Profit, With Passion by Radek Sali with Bernadette Schwerdt is available in all good book stores and online at Amazon and Booktopia.