ACS has three innovation labs in Australia – Harbour City Labs in Sydney, River City Labs in Brisbane, and Bay City Labs in Melbourne.
‘A Look in the Labs’ is an Information Age series profiling the high-growth startups based in our labs – what they do, their ambitions, and the advantages they’ve gained being based at the ACS Innovation Labs.
Business Erni
Established 2021
Founder Andrew Bain
Based at River City Labs
Online at Website, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram
What does your business/product do and how does it help people/other businesses?
Erni is a unique online booking platform for people of all ages to earn extra money in their spare time using the talents they have right now, no quoting required, just set up your profile in 3 1/2 minutes and then "Let work find you".
How did the idea for your business come about?
We found that in today's age, there were only a few places online where people could advertise themselves to earn extra money. They were either Gumtree, or quoting based platforms such as Airtasker. We needed a platform where people could upload their profile, showcase their availability, skill and rates then get booked instantly with out the needing for going back and forth quoting. We needed an Instant Book platform like Airbnb but for people and their services.
What has been the biggest challenge and the biggest milestone for your business so far?
Biggest challenge is learning along the way. This is our first start-up so boot-strapping the design, build and now launch, it takes time and never goes as fast as you want. Biggest milestone is launching successfully to the market, now we are chasing market adoption.
Where would you like your business to be in two years?
We would like to have a good foot hold in the Brisbane market - have a growing community of people who are passionate about earning through Erni.
What is the best business or life advice you’ve ever been given?
When I feel like it's all too much, the best quote I've heard and continually remind myself of is "I haven't come this far just to come this far!"
What made you decide to move into the ACS Innovation Labs and how has it assisted your business?
Being surrounding with people in start-ups, having the knowelge and experience around me has been invaluable. It's also a great place to be able to cry on each others shoulder and realise that I'm not the only one going through issues - others have them and it's good to share and learn together.
Was being an entrepreneur always one of your life’s goals and what have you learned about being an entrepreneur?
I don't see myself as an entrepreneur. I am merely someone who has had an idea and it putting one foot in frount of the other. It's a life journey and I'm excited to see where we can take Erni in the future.
For more information on the ACS Innovation Labs, visit the websites of Harbour City Labs in Sydney, River City Labs in Brisbane, and Bay City Labs in Melbourne. If you're interested in joining successful Australian businesses in the ACS Innovation Labs, email scale@acs.org.au
