What If $50 Could Build a Multi Million Dollar Empire?
Most people say they’d start a business if only they had more money.
Our guest today? He launched with just $50 he had to borrow.
And he didn’t just turn it into a business. He turned it into a global empire, pulling in over $30 million a year.
Meet Justin Herald, one of Australia’s most inspiring entrepreneurs.
At just 25, Justin launched Attitude Inc. A T-shirt brand that started as a joke to annoy a woman in his father’s church who kept telling him he had “an attitude problem.” He printed four shirts, sold three, reinvested, and just kept doubling. Before long, Attitude was a licensing brand with global reach.
Today, Justin is more than just the guy who built a clothing empire from nothing. He is a keynote speaker, author of eight best-selling books, founder of Customer Culture, and co-founder of Referrals Network, a system turning word-of-mouth into instant, trackable, profitable referrals.
He has also been named International Entrepreneur of the Year, received the Future Leaders Award, and recognized as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Leaders of the Next Generation.
But here’s the kicker: it all started with $50 and a rebellious spark.
From Joke to Global Brand
Justin didn’t set out to build a business. His “why” was as raw and unpolished as it gets: prove a point.
He got T-shirts printed that read “I Love My Attitude Problem.”
The next Sunday, people wanted to buy them. He reinvested. He scaled. He hustled.
When retailers turned him down because they had “never heard of his brand,” he went straight to the markets instead. By 9:15 on his first day, he was sold out.
That’s when he knew he had something real.
What set Attitude apart wasn’t just the shirts. It was Justin himself, the Aussie larrikin behind the brand. Media loved him. Customers loved him. And in a world where brand loyalty meant everything, Attitude stood out as authentic, sarcastic, and unapologetically Australian.
Why He Didn’t Quit
Here’s the truth: Justin could’ve walked away a dozen times. Money was tight. Retailers didn’t believe in him. The grind was brutal.
But instead of obsessing over problems, he assumed challenges were part of the deal.
He didn’t set five-year timelines or measure against anyone else’s success.
He just kept building, piece by piece, trusting that effort would stack into results.
That mindset, what if it works, became the cornerstone of his empire.
Beyond T-Shirts: Building Cultures and Networks
Fast-forward, and Justin has reinvented himself multiple times.
Customer Culture: Helping companies transform service by training staff how to serve and, more importantly, why they serve. His philosophy is simple: stop throwing untrained employees at customers and hoping for the best. Culture is built daily, not once a year at a staff retreat.
Referrals Network: Justin’s latest venture solves a timeless problem: referrals that never actually happen. Think about it. Someone at a barbecue recommends a plumber, but by the time they get home, they’ve forgotten to pass the details. The plumber never knows. The customer never calls. Opportunity gone.
Referrals Network makes word-of-mouth instant. While you’re in the conversation, you can send a business referral directly, instantly connecting customer and business. For $375 a year, businesses get unlimited, trackable referrals. As Justin says: “Your customers are your best sales team. Why aren’t you empowering them?”
The Speaker Who Tells It Straight
Justin now speaks at over 90 events a year to more than 70,000 people. His style is raw, funny, no-fluff, and relatable. No polished keynote clichés. No ego. Just a straight-talking Aussie who’s been there and knows what it takes.
As one CEO put it: “The best speaker we’ve ever had.”
Why does he resonate so deeply? Because he doesn’t preach from a pedestal. He talks to audiences, not at them. He makes success feel possible, not theoretical.
The Bigger Message
Justin’s story isn’t about T-shirts or referrals. It’s about mindset.
Stop overthinking and start.
Stop comparing yourself to others.
Stop wasting energy trying to impress people who don’t matter.
Success isn’t about Ferraris on Instagram. It’s about doing life your way.
As Justin puts it:
“It’s none of my business what people think of me. Success isn’t a dollar figure. It’s backing your own ambition and giving it a crack.”
Attention Is the Currency
So, what should people stop wasting attention on?
Justin says it best:
“Stop wasting time on what other people are doing. Start investing it in what YOU can achieve. If you don’t back your own dream, you can’t expect anyone else to.”
That’s the truth bomb every business owner needs to hear.
Want More Justin?
Check out his books and resources at justinherald.com
Book him as a keynote speaker who will entertain, challenge, and inspire
Explore Referrals Network and turn your customers into your best sales team
Because here’s the deal: if a $50 idea can grow into a $30 million global brand, imagine what’s possible when you stop hesitating and start building.