25 Years On: The Big Kev Business Lessons Still Shaping Australian SMEs

If you can believe it, 2026 marks 25 years since Big Kev’s company was floated on the ASX; the beginning of the end for one of Australia’s most memorable entrepreneurial stories. Yet, the story of Big Kev still holds powerful business lessons that owners can learn from.

Most Australians remember him fondly. Loud shirts, huge grin, cleaning products that could “remove any stain.” And, of course, that proud catchphrase, “I’m excited!”

Big Kev wasn’t just a personality. For a moment in the early 2000s, he became one of Australia’s most recognisable brands, riding a wave of national pride and entrepreneurial spirit. But behind the rapid ascent was a business that wasn’t as structurally prepared for scale as it would seem, and the fallout was swift.

Today, 25 years later, his story remains a powerful case study for modern business owners, particularly those eager to grow and scale.

The Rise: When Personality Meets Product

Kev’s beginnings were a classic Aussie entrepreneurship tale. Selling cleaning products at the Carrara Markets on the Gold Coast turned into national fame after he took a risk and began advertising on Good Morning Australia. This one move skyrocketed awareness and demand.

It wasn’t too long before his main products, Stain Free and Goo Remover, were stocked in supermarkets nationwide. Big Kev had become the ultimate Aussie battler success story: a family man with a dream, 100% Australian-made products, and a brand the public loved.

But while demand grew, it would seem the business foundations did not grow with it.

The Turning Point: Going Public Too Soon

In 2001, Big Kev pushed to take the business public. His intention was to step from small business battler into the corporate big league.

But problems emerged early:

The raised seed capital of $6 million seemed to fall short of what was needed.
Marketing and publicity costs ballooned as they tried to introduce new products.
Supplier tensions started to affect product quality.
Sales forecasts weren’t being met, neither via phone orders nor on supermarket shelves.

Only 3 months after listing on 9 August 2001 at 50c per share, the business lost two-thirds of its market value.

In the prospectus dated June 18, sales were forecasted to be $28.2 million with a $1.9 million profit for 2001-02. To achieve this goal, customers were supposed to be spending $2 million a month, but monthly sales were closer to $700,000. Questions were raised. Confidence dropped. So did the share price.

The removal of products from supermarket shelves caused the business to quickly become overstocked and underfunded.

The Final Chapter.

By June 2002, Big Kev’s Ltd shares were valued at only 10c, and the end was insight. Shares were dumped, the Gold Coast office was closed, and an iconic Aussie brand faded out.

A harsh ending for what could have been a long-term, thriving business.

Big Kev Lessons Business Owners Can Still Learn

As accountants who regularly support clients transitioning through growth phases, we see these patterns often. Big Kev’s story highlights the crucial lessons every business owner should take seriously, especially when experiencing growth or looking to scale.

1. Scaling Requires Governance, Not Just Good Intentions

The transition from a family-run business to a public company is enormous. It’s not as easy as some might think. It requires:

solid governance
clear accountability
separation between ownership and day-to-day management
directors with authority and experience

Big Kev appeared to treat the business as his own, through behaviours such as hiring and firing multiple general managers and staff, despite now being one shareholder among many.