Entrepreneurship Report: Analysis of The Fruit Box Startup Success

This report provides an in-depth analysis of entrepreneurship through the lens of The Fruit Box, an Australian startup founded by Martin Halpen. It explores the entrepreneur's journey, detailing the initial struggles and eventual success of the company. The report examines The Fruit Box's operations, business plans, and marketing strategies, highlighting the importance of adapting to market demands and maintaining a healthy and sustainable approach. It also delves into the responsibilities of the owner and provides recommendations for aspiring entrepreneurs. The report emphasizes the significance of perseverance, adaptability, and a strong mission in navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship, ultimately showcasing The Fruit Box as a case study of successful business innovation in the modern era, particularly within the context of promoting healthy lifestyles and sustainable practices.

Running Head: ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive summary
This report contains what I learned about entrepreneurship after interviewing a famous
entrepreneur is Australia. A basic idea of entrepreneurship is learnt through his along with the
struggle that accompanies such business decisions. The various risks and issues of business
are explored along with the background of the company. The growth is traced along with the
mistakes that might have happened in the beginning. This is an in-depth analysis of what my
understanding of entrepreneurship is after having conducted the interview.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
About The Fruit Box..................................................................................................................3
About the entrepreneur...............................................................................................................4
The journey................................................................................................................................5
The operations of the company..................................................................................................6
The business plans and results...................................................................................................6
Responsibility of the owner.......................................................................................................8
Recommendation for new entrepreneurs.................................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................12
Appendices...............................................................................................................................13
Introduction
This is the era of startups and entrepreneurs. People nowadays want innovation and
businesses that exposed them to new products and new opportunities which come together to

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form a different experience altogether. In this era were young scientific minds work together
to come up with ideas that can change the world, the small scale or medium scale businesses
are a gift as they focus on the possibilities of the future and products and services that make
life much easier than before. Entrepreneurship is a vast process that makes people design
launch and run a new kind of business which brings to the forefront a new product or service
backed will help people in some way or the other. This entrepreneur was have the capacity to
take risks and fund the business all the while studying the market and understanding the taste
of the consumers to manipulate their products in a way that they sell (Wennekers & Thurik
1999). Entrepreneurship is never an easy task as countless businesses have shut down
because of improper planning and management for a lack of demand for their products. This
can happen due to bad planning when it comes to marketing or products that are not as useful
as one would imagine. Choose this assignment I will be shedding light on an interview I
conducted with Mr Martin Halpen, the founder of The Fruit Box.
About The Fruit Box
The food box sources fruits and dairy products from various produces if it was
possible to reach them. This supports local farmers and is a big advocate of seasonal fresh
fruit from the farm that helps them form what is called a sustainable method of farming and
local agriculture in Australia (The FruitBox Group | Office Fruit & Milk Delivery Australia
Wide 2019). Then they take this fruit and they deliver to workplaces across Australia as they
are in high demand from offices where people are looking for healthy alternatives than
restaurant cooked and delivered food.
This startup came into existence because of this generation's need for healthy lifestyle
for which they switch to fruits, juices and dairy products like yogurt and milk for snacks and

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quick bites. So instead of reaching for bars of chocolates and other munchies that are
unhealthy, these are better, healthier and safer options. The major clients consist of local
offices who believe that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce. They often order in
food from the fruit box to stack their canteens and give to their employees.
This startup also is in support for local Australian fruit farms and dairy farms as they help in
the distribution of locally sourced products. This is a huge help to be farmers who are
responsible for the cultivation of fruits and maintenance of dairy farms. This brand also
promotes sustainability and organic living which gives it a very modern edge and has
garnered appreciation throughout Australia. This brand is highly in sync with the new
generation’s healthy lifestyles and healthy year mindset that is looking forward to a better and
sustainable earth and healthy versions of themselves.
About the entrepreneur
Martin Halpen about the interview remains candid about the fact that setting up this
business was in the struggle. He openly admits that entrepreneurship although alluring is a
very hard journey and requires a lot of patience. His start was somewhat similar to a failure as
the company ripped very little benefit and he had to suffer years of trouble because the
company was not doing very well. It is after 7 to 8 years of continuous hard work and
patience that the company bore results and profitability.
He is a man who seems extremely focused and lost in his own strength of thoughts.
One might also mistake him to be someone who is highly unconnected from the world but it
is evident that he is somebody who keeps thinking too fast. Throughout his brain is a buzzing
web of work, stress and other sectors of his life but for someone with such fast thinking
process, he is surprisingly calm and he casually answers all my questions with a hint of

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warmth and friendliness in his tone. He remains humble and if someone glimpses at him. he
is just another regular guy. Like he said that he was somebody who was patient throughout
these 8 years of struggle, and his patience and calmness is an evident characteristic of his
aura and it is resplendently visible on his face.
The journey
He got the idea of the fruit box as he himself is a big believer of healthy lifestyles,
helping people be more productive. If only believes that a healthy body will always promote
healthy mind and as to make sure that happens one must give up winning habits and
unhealthy junk food that not only harms the body but also the ecosystem. Food packaging
and unhealthy amounts of oil in junk food is never good for humans or for the environment.
You also realize that his contemporaries were also starting to adopt a lifestyle at was much
more healthy here and they replaced munchies and snacks with fruits and other items like
yogurts. However, this meant that they have to go to the supermarket shopping for the same
and then they have to pack and carry it to the office which was problematic. He realized that
if these items were delivered to the office directly, people would have it regularly switch to
healthy options because they will become easily available and we will not be ordering food
from the various junk restaurants around the cities.
The operations of the company
Martin Halpen talks about how he planned and coordinated all the functions of the
company during the starting days. He says that he had made quite a few mistakes in the
beginning but he does not regret making any of those because it enabled him to learn a lot
about entrepreneurship then any books ever could teach him. He said that at first use to get

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very upset and angry of the fact that despite all his hard work the company did not receive
any profit but then he realized that he needed to have patience to make sure the company
comes to opposition from which he can benefit. He says that he wanted to be his own boss
and that despite the problems that arose in the way the independence that the company gave
him could never be replaced with any amount of high salary in reputed organizations (Evanns
& Leighton 1990).
He doesn't disclose the amount of employees where a part of the organization in the
beginning but he does keep on talking about the fact that his wife was a youth support and
some that you had actively taking interest and win a part of his business venture. When things
were rough they even sold the house to gather the money into the business and it has
provided them an enormous opportunity to do better and they grabbed it together. He says for
taking on a business venture is not easy and that one must always have someone who will be
the pillar of strength and comfort at the end of the day. His wife was capable of making all
the sacrifices that has now helped him become who he is.
The business plans and results
He says that having a mission in mind is extremely important. His mission was to
that will innovate and give equal an idea that they have never thought of before. The food box
according to him was such an idea because most of the people who tried to have healthy and I
still couldn't complete the maintenance at work because of the unavailability of fruits and
other dairy products and every other people were just too invested in fried food and they did
not even considered moving to healthy alternators and even when they did, they lacked an
idea about making it happen. When it comes to dealing with such products that can rot or be
spoilt to easily, it is not easy making sure those losses and not heaped upon the company

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(King & Levine 1993). The company does not use any preservatives or methods that will
make the fruit last longer and therefore they have to be very careful about making sure that
rotten fruits and your words are not distributed to people. Even items like beverages and
juices I buy products of these fruits and even they are stored organically and hygienically all
the while being tracked for the expiration date and being constantly checked for issues. He
says that making a mistake in this kind of industry is very easy because a slip can happen
anytime and people might be supplied spoilt orders but he makes sure that things like this
happen very rarely (Druker 2014). For this he has to run a very efficient feedback system that
can compensate for any such situations that arise.
In the beginning and even now marketing is an important function of his business. He
made sure that the marketing and advertising that he does for his forms stresses on the fact
that he and this company is promoting a healthy lifestyle and that this lifestyle should be
adopted by everyone. Marketing strategies should ensure that the prospective customers are
reached through the correct mediums. Usually markets the website online as the ordering and
processes of his business is mostly done online. He supports social media and the internet
wholeheartedly because he believes that it has opened up a lot of avenues for various
entrepreneurs and has helped existing businesses grab a better footing in the market because
of the amount of exposure it provides to them (Zimmer, 1986).
His employees consist of relationship managers who ensure that relationships between
the company and the farmers the companies sources products from accordion and that the
company is paying attention to the problems they are facing. The company also regularly
works on the relationship pictures with the customers because customers take up the topmost
shelf when it comes to priority for the business.

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This company also has a lot of warehouses located in strategic locations across the
country so that it facilitates easier transportation of the goods to the cities from which the
orders flowing on a regular basis. These warehouses have supervisors and workers’ working
continuously to ensure that fruits and other raw materials are kept properly and within
suitable temperatures and that’s no foul play is involved when it comes to preserving them
(Eckhardt & Shane 2003). The employees and supervisors are well remunerated and taken
care of by the company and the company values them a lot because the make the word
possible and without them this company would be a failure.
Responsibility of the owner
Martin Halpen cannot stop talking about how important it is for the owners of
businesses to be on the toes all the time. He says that if the owner leaves the business after
the managers and supervisors that have been recruited by him, there is a good chance and
operations will always go wrong because nobody loves the business as much as the owner
does. When the power is vested in some other hand the mission and goal of the business is
lost as the original mission and goal was from the perspective of the owner and now a second
person has come in to handle it in his own way. This gives ways to difference in opinions and
struggle for power. This also causes a deviation from the original goals and this adversely
harms the company because the original plans and processes and not meant for the second
kind.
He himself makes sure that he visits the producers and dairy farm owners on a regular
basis and he keeps on sourcing more kinds of fruits and more dairy products from various
other owners and producers as well. He believes that he will be able to create a network of
organic and sustainable producers that will be beneficial for the country as a whole. He thinks

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that it is important to grow and therefore he also wants to give other people the chance to
grow and the chance to explain your territories for their benefits. He makes sure that these
people are always paid what they are due and that they are unhappy relationship with the
company and I always remind you of the fact that the company would not have been possible
without them.
He also undertakes visits to the warehouses to ensure that they work just fine and that all the
machinery is in order. He says that he is rather nit picky when it comes to cleanliness and
hygiene and therefore he has taken it upon himself to supervise and inspect every warehouse
in order to ensure the topmost quality is maintained and no amount of carelessness has been
shown by the people associated with the company.
He says that employees tend to take it easy when the owner is not around 2 to make
sure that the operations are running smoothly and therefore he is always present. You also
stresses on the fact that the owner also has to be present to be able to resolve any kind of
problems that arise in the course of business (Cunninghanm & Lischeron 1991). No one
understands the company as well as the owner does and the decisions that the owner will take
after much discussion with other people is usually correct.
He usually focuses on the operations of the company and ensures that orders are sent
out on time. He carefully keeps track of the incoming orders and the people responsible for
them. He hates missed orders as he believes that it affects the Goodwill of the company and it
is a price that he cannot afford to pay. He says that he has read up the company like a child
and that he is quick to correct the mistakes before it turns into something graver.

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Recommendation for new entrepreneurs
He recommends that all new entrepreneurs be brave and come up with all the new
ideas we can gather to make this business world greater place. He knows that one may be
scared of been charged but he knows that thing judged is better than not giving an idea on
time and watching someone else get that Idea later and put it into use. Entrepreneurship is a
chance to change the world and it makes the dreams of one trying to be the change, come
true. He recommends that one be patient, confident and willing to make changes and take
risks while venturing into unknown territories. You also recommends that one does extensive
market research before planning out a business venture as there is no point investing in
something that will give a lot of competition or or is is an old concept and has already been
replaced by newer and better concepts.
Conclusion
Through this interview it is clear that entrepreneurship is not an easy journey and it
requires year's patience and hard work along with relentless brainstorming to make an idea
happen. Entrepreneurship is like venturing into a dark world without knowing what might
happen all the while being confident in oneself that despite every problem he or she has to
make the plan happen. It is the ultimate method of putting out a better idea into the world for
the benefit of various kinds of people and as a beacon of change. In this modern world ideas
and information is free flowing and one can only hope that more entrepreneur was like
Martin Halpen comes into existence and makes life easier, healthier and better. It is also
evident that maintaining an organization as the person at the helm of affairs is a very
challenging task and it is especially hard as the owner. He or she has to be responsible for all
kinds of business operations and finances all the while regulating a normal balanced personal

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life. Entrepreneurship is like an adventure of a lifetime and one can only hope that everyone
gets to experience a journey similar to what entrepreneurship has to offer.

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References
Cunningham, J.B. and Lischeron, J., 1991. Defining entrepreneurship. Journal of small
business management, 29(1), pp.45-61.
Drucker, P., 2014. Innovation and entrepreneurship. Routledge.
Eckhardt, J.T. and Shane, S.A., 2003. Opportunities and entrepreneurship. Journal of
management, 29(3), pp.333-349.
Evans, D.S. and Leighton, L.S., 1990. Some empirical aspects of entrepreneurship. In The
economics of small firms(pp. 79-99). Springer, Dordrecht.
King, R.G. and Levine, R., 1993. Finance, entrepreneurship and growth. Journal of Monetary
economics, 32(3), pp.513-542.
The FruitBox Group | Office Fruit & Milk Delivery Australia Wide. (2019). The FruitBox
Group | Office Fruit & Milk Delivery Australia Wide. Available at:
https://thefruitboxgroup.com.au/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2019].
Wennekers, S. and Thurik, R., 1999. Linking entrepreneurship and economic growth. Small
business economics, 13(1), pp.27-56.
Zimmer, C., 1986. Entrepreneurship through social networks. The art and science of
entrepreneurship. Ballinger, Cambridge, MA, pp.3-23.

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Appendices
Questionnaire
1. From where did the idea of your business originate?
2. What is your mission and did you achieve it?
3. When was the business started?
4. How many people were included in the business when it started?
5. What services all products are offered by your business?
6. What are your advertising strategies?
7. What are your success mantras?
8. In order to be employed at your company what qualities must a person have?
9. Where your business is located and why is it located there?
10. What will you call the goal of the company?
11. Why is your business unique?
12. As the owner what responsibilities do you take on yourself?
13. Why did you start this journey?
14. Is your company helpful when it comes to the society it is located in?
15. What advice would you give to somebody who is trying to begin his or her
entrepreneurial journey?