Start Me Up on 10 and 10 Play hosted by Liv Phyland – Presenter, influencer, and small business owner, Liv Phyland, is set to host a new two-part series for Network 10 launching on Saturday, 28 June, featuring some of Australia’s most inspiring start-up founders, and the mentors on a mission to help them succeed, as well as taking to the streets to uncover the big new business ideas of tomorrow while tackling the obstacles standing in their way.
‘Start Me Up’, presented by Asuria, a leading provider of the Australian Government’s Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) program, is a brand new, 22-minute two-part TV show conceived and made by Projucer exclusively for Network 10. The first episode premieres at 2:00pm, Saturday 28 June on 10, and will also be available on demand on 10 Play.
This vibrant new talk show follows host Liv Phyland as she meets everyday Australians who made the bold, life-changing decision to back themselves and start their own business.
From overcoming personal setbacks to chasing long-held dreams, these entrepreneurs share raw and powerful stories of resilience, reinvention, and purpose. Through eye-opening conversations and heartfelt moments of reflection, ‘Start Me Up’ shines a light on what it truly takes to build a business from the ground up, and why it’s all worth it when you get to wake up each morning and do what you love.
Business owners sharing their stories include Marc Ryan, founder of ‘Fairy Floss & Chaos’, a comedy business using humour to start powerful conversations about mental health; Tarius McArthur, founder of ‘Cherry Pie – American Dessert Pies’, putting a sweet American twist on traditional pie making with authentic, nostalgic flavours; Shasta Stevic, founder of ‘Montue’, an antique restoration business that unearths hidden stories in time-worn artifacts; and Lydia Thomson, founder of ‘Mowing Motivation’, an all-female gardening and maintenance crew creating safe, empowering outdoor spaces for women.
Speaking exclusively to Liv about her personal journey to small business ownership, former lawyer, Shasta Stevic, said:
“I used to spend each Sunday in a state of dread at the thought of returning to the office the next day, and to a job that had drained me of anything that I had left to give.
“The bravery to leave my law profession behind and discover a hidden passion for antique restoration might still have come to nothing, if it hadn’t been for the expert guidance I found in my SEA mentor, and the invaluable support they provided in helping me to discover a new-found excitement for Monday mornings and the opportunity to do something I love for a living.”
Throughout the series, host Liv also meets the real-life Business Mentors from Asuria’s SEA program – the highly experienced business gurus who are often the secret ingredient when it comes to guiding new business owners through those challenging early years – from across the country, to offer invaluable advice on how to avoid pitfalls on the way to profitability.
Featured mentors include Ray Jopling, a former accountant and seasoned SEA business expert who has spent decades helping small businesses find their feet; and Nik Lazarevski, who brings a wealth of experience in banking and finance, along with a passion for helping entrepreneurs to build financially sustainable businesses from the ground up.
Also joining the series is Emily Bitkow, an e-commerce and fashion entrepreneur — whose own product range is currently available across Australia, the EU, and the UK — offering firsthand insight into turning creative ideas into commercially successful ventures.
Rounding out the mentor lineup is Salome Borg, bringing real-world startup experience to the table through the prior launch of her own e-commerce sports store and tech start-up specialising in cashless payments, and now empowering fellow entrepreneurs and aspiring small business owners with the knowledge and resilience to succeed.
Stepping away from the studio for Start Me Up’s ‘Street Talk’ segment, we meet everyday Australians ready to take the leap – people with big ideas bubbling just beneath the surface. Their stories reveal a nation of entrepreneurs-in-waiting, who could be just one piece of advice away from turning their business dreams into an income-generating reality.
Liv Phyland, host of Start Me Up, says of the show:
“Start Me Up is an amazing opportunity to bring my passions for television and business together, in a show that I truly hope will inspire the next generation of new business owners in Australia to turn ideas into careers.
“SEA, and the amazing mentors offering invaluable advice to Aussie start-ups for free, are one of Australia’s best kept secrets, and I can’t wait to help shine a light on this amazing helping hand for anyone who might think that starting a new business means going it alone.”
Nicole Grainger-Marsh, CEO of Asuria Australia, adds:
“For those who’ve already benefited from it, SEA has been nothing short of life-changing — helping people transform their ideas into careers by building on their unique passions, strengths, and stories.
“The truth is that fear is a completely normal part of starting something new — especially when that ‘something’ is your own business. Instead of seeing fear as a barrier, we want to normalise it and empower people to move through it with the right support by their side.
“That’s why we’re so thrilled to be working with Liv and Network 10 — to help more Australians see that with guidance, encouragement, and belief in yourself, self-employment isn’t just a dream – it’s the doorway to new life.”
Director and Executive Producer Josh Capelin says:
“When we were approached by Asuria with the goal to spread the word about SEA, we saw an exciting opportunity to breathe fresh life and energy into the business show genre. And with Channel 10 and Liv Phyland as the perfect partners, we’ve done exactly that.”
‘Start Me Up’ premieres Saturday, 28 June at 2:00pm on 10, with episode two airing Saturday, 5 July, and the full series available to stream on 10 Play.
To find out more about Start Me Up, visit asuria.com.au/start-me-up.
Start Me Up on 10 and 10 Play – Saturday 28 June at 2.00pm
Media Release – Asuria
TV Central 10 content HERE
Start Me Up on 10 and 10 Play hosted by Liv Phyland
