Lollies To London

Building a Million-Dollar Art Hanging Empire

Sometimes the best business ideas are hiding in plain sight—solving problems most people don't even realize they have.

That's exactly what Oliver Lonergan discovered when he started Professional Picture Hanging straight out of school. And when I say "straight out of school," I mean it. While his mates were figuring out university or gap years, Oliver was building a business that would eventually span Australia's east coast and expand all the way to London.

But here's the thing that makes his story so compelling: he didn't start with picture hanging.

The Lolly Empire That Started It All

Oliver's first venture happened in Year 4. He was buying five-packs of Zappos at Woolworths for $2, then selling them individually at school—for $2 each. Do the math on that margin!

But Oliver didn't stop there. He started hiring his friends, paying them to sell alongside him. At one point, he had four kids running his confectionery empire across the playground.

Of course, it all came crashing down when one of his "key workers" (his words!) got busted by her dad with a bag full of lollies. That phone call to his parents shut down the operation pretty quickly.

But the entrepreneurial bug had bitten. And it never let go.

Want to hear the full story of how Oliver went from playground entrepreneur to running a multi-location service business? You'll want to listen to our full conversation on Handpicked—but first, let me tell you why this episode is essential listening for any service business owner.

The Invisible Niche Problem

Here's Oliver's challenge: he's built a successful business in an industry that most people don't know exists.

Professional picture hanging? Art installation? Curation services for hotels and luxury properties?

It's not exactly something people wake up searching for. Yet Oliver's team has hung over 1,500 pieces at Crown Sydney, completed nearly 1,000 artworks at One Sydney Harbour, and worked on prestigious projects like Capella Hotel.

So how do you build a memorable brand when you're solving a problem people don't think they have?

That's exactly what we dig into in the episode. I share some unconventional strategies I used at RedBalloon—including a story about seaplanes over Sydney Harbour and why everyone thought we had jet boats everywhere (spoiler: we didn't).

The Scale-Up Shift Nobody Warns You About

Getting from zero to your first million is about hustle. You're hands-on with everything, you know every customer, you're answering phones while hanging artwork while doing the books.

But scaling from one million to five million? That requires a completely different operating system.

In the episode, Oliver asks me about the personal shifts required at different stages of growth—and whether leadership style needs to change. My answer might surprise you, especially the story about the team member who kept showing up hungover and why I couldn't be her "mate" anymore.

The Question That Changes Everything

Oliver also asked me something that every ambitious entrepreneur should be thinking about: Should you be planning for acquisition now, or is that something to worry about later?

The answer isn't what most people expect. And it fundamentally changes how you build your business from day one.

I walk through my thinking on this, plus my top three focus areas for anyone scaling a multi-location service business. (Hint: one of them involves AI in a way you probably haven't considered yet.)

https://youtu.be/sVnmRGFcnMw

What RedBalloon Taught Me About Service Businesses

At one point, I had seven people working in my home office. Everyone was doing everything. The phone would ring and we'd all just look at each other.

That chaos worked until it didn't.

In the episode, I share the exact framework I used to transform that chaos into a scalable operation—and why one free tool from Vern Harnish changed everything for me. If you're feeling overwhelmed by growth right now, this section alone is worth the listen.

The Mobile Billboard Strategy

Here's something fascinating: Oliver's van branding gets comments all the time. It was designed by a mate of his (Matthew Doy, who's brilliant at this stuff), and it's become a talking point.

But there's a strategy behind making your service vehicles work harder for you—one that I learned from Ronnie Kahn at OzHarvest and implemented at RedBalloon in creative ways.

I share the full strategy in the episode, including how we partnered with suppliers to create physical brand presence when we were a completely virtual business. The specific deal structures we used might give you ideas for your own business.

Why Service Businesses Are Having Their Moment

Here's what we're seeing from the US market: service businesses are in serious growth mode. Specifically, businesses that can't be shipped in a box, that require human expertise and skill.

This is great news if you're in the service industry. But it also means competition is heating up.

In our conversation, I walk Oliver through how to think about strategic partnerships, licensing versus franchising, and when to consider bringing in outside expertise versus building everything in-house.

The Questions You Should Be Asking

If you're running a service business, here are some of the questions we tackle in this episode:

• How do you build a memorable brand in a niche nobody's heard of?
• What repeatable tasks in your business could be systematized right now?
• Where should your vehicles be parked to maximize brand visibility?
• How do you transition from founder-doing-everything to leader-of-a-team?
• What's the difference between being mates with your team and being their leader?
• Should acquisition planning start now or later?

And my favorite question Oliver asked: What would I focus on if I were mentoring him directly to scale his multi-location business?

That's where I get really specific with actionable strategies—including some partnerships he probably hasn't considered and a scaling model that could work beautifully for his type of business.

A Full-Circle Moment

Here's something I love about this conversation: Oliver was actually one of my first customers when he started the business. He came to my house to hang artwork years ago. (And yes, I made him straighten a few pieces before we recorded this episode!)

Watching him grow from that eager young entrepreneur to someone running a 12-person operation across two countries has been incredible. But what strikes me most is how the questions he's asking are the exact same ones I was asking at that stage—and the ones many of you are probably asking right now.

Listen to the Full Episode

This blog post barely scratches the surface of our conversation. We go deep on:

• The specific AI tools that could transform his scheduling chaos (and yours)
• Why I think visual and auditory cues are critical for service businesses
• The One Page Plan that changed how I thought about RedBalloon's future
• How to know when it's time to change your leadership approach
• Real examples of how we created physical touchpoints for a virtual business

Plus, Oliver shares some hilarious stories about his early ventures and we talk about what it's really like to manage teams across multiple locations.

Listen to "Lollies to London: Building a Million-Dollar Art Hanging Empire" now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or iHeart.

New episodes of Handpicked drop every Monday, so make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss the next one.

Running a service business and facing scale-up challenges? I'd love to hear what you're working through in the comments below. And if this episode resonates with you, share it with another entrepreneur who needs to hear it.

Sometimes we all need reminding that the challenges we're facing aren't unique—and that someone else has figured out a path through them.

‍