BESPOKE PACKAGING, ROCHEDALE SOUTH
For Michelle, founder of Bespoke Packaging, packaging has always been about more than just boxes and ribbon. It’s about creating an experience. What began as frustration over sourcing small quantities of beautiful packaging for client gifts soon turned into a thriving business helping brands of all sizes present themselves professionally. With a background of management in creative industries and years of experience working alongside photographers and print suppliers, Michelle built Bespoke Packaging into a business that now spans packaging, promotional products, printing, and uniforms. In this interview, she shares the realities of running a family business, the challenges behind the scenes, and why flexibility, creativity, and simply “giving it a go” have shaped her journey as an entrepreneur.
Before launching Bespoke Packaging, Michelle had built a successful career in management and business development. When asked what she was doing before starting the business and how the idea for Bespoke Packaging first came about, she reflects on the gap in the market that inspired the business. “I was a national manager in the scrapbooking industry and we did all kinds of crafty stuff. I had about 30 staff under me. I did all the buying for Australia. We did a lot of training for shops and things like that and from there I moved into the position of business development manager that was dealing directly with photographers, who were in the business of selling their professional albums to clients.
While I was there, part of my job as the manager was to identify gaps in the market and things that weren’t being offered. One of the things that was triggering to me was that I had to do some client gifts. Me being me, everything has to be packaged beautifully because I really do believe that you could give anyone anything, but if you package it up nicely and make it look beautiful, the actual experience of receiving the gift is much better. So I was trying to find packaging for these gifts. I had about 50 gifts that I had to package up and I literally spent so much time on them and I was like, this is ridiculous. I should just be able to go online, go and find what I want, and have it delivered to my desk. Yet, I was spending all this time running around the shops, trying to find 50 of the same box and packaging supplies.
At the time when I was looking to purchase, you could only purchase hundreds of the same item. I don’t need hundreds, I just want 50. So that was kind of an eye opener, but I’d also identified a lot of things that photographers then could not buy. Things that they possibly needed for their business, to make the experience of giving the product to their client better. So that’s where that kind of all developed.”
Reflecting on the early years of the business, Michelle was asked about the turning point that led her to start Bespoke Packaging and how the business expanded beyond packaging into promotional products, printing, and uniforms.
“A lot of the growth happened naturally because customers would already come to me for packaging and ribbon for hampers or gifts, and then they’d ask, ‘Can you also drink bottles or keep cups?’ And my answer was always, ‘Yes, of course.’ I’ve always believed that if someone asks whether you can do something, you say yes and then if you don’t know how to do it yet, you work it out. That’s basically how I expanded into promotional products. A lot of what we were already doing crossed over naturally. We were already printing pens, USBs, and branded products, which all fit into the promotional space anyway.
Printing was also a very natural progression because I already had experience in that industry and had worked with printers for many years, so I understood the process really well. One of the biggest things I had to learn when I started Bespoke was Illustrator and Photoshop. I remember sitting at my desk with absolutely no idea how to use either program. My husband helped teach me Photoshop and a bit of Illustrator, and I watched tutorials and just kept practicing. Now, 13 years later, I’m very confident with both programs, but back then I had no clue. Learning those skills became a major turning point because it meant I could actually tweak artwork, fix files, and create proper print-ready artwork for clients. That’s very different from someone just handing over a file and saying, ‘Can you print this?’
Because I understood the technical side and could supply print-ready files, we eventually became more like a trade printer as well. From there, Bespoke Packaging became much more than just packaging. It expanded into printing, promotional products, and eventually uniforms as well. We started doing uniforms for a few clients, and then gradually more people came to us for that too.”
When discussing the realities of small business ownership, Michelle speaks openly about the behind the scenes responsibilities and challenges that often go unnoticed while running Bespoke Packaging.
“The reality is there’s probably a lot more work involved than what you think. I run Bespoke Packaging, and my husband also has his own business, MD Photography. Under that banner, we have The Bespoke Collective, so I basically run all of the company accounts and everything like that. So not only am I organising products, sending invoices, getting paid, quoting things up which is the fun stuff, you’ve also got to do all the accounting side of things. That takes a lot of time and it can be quite stressful. You’ve got to make sure you take care of all your tax implications for the ATO, accountants, and everything like that.
I think one of the biggest things people see with me is the travel. They’ll say, ‘Oh, you’re always away, you’re always travelling, you have such a great life.’ But the reality is, the only time I’m really not working is probably Easter or Christmas when we close for two weeks. Even when I was in Hong Kong doing trade shows and factory visits during the day, I still had work to do at night like emails, orders, quotes, everything. So yes, I might’ve been sitting in Hong Kong looking out at the harbour, but I was still sitting there working. Out of a 10-day trip, I think I had maybe two or three days where I didn’t open my laptop. So yes, we travel, but normally it’s for work purposes. Even when we go to Melbourne for trade shows, I’m there trying to bring in new customers and clients while still keeping the business running at the same time.”
Despite the challenges, Michelle finds a great deal of satisfaction in helping clients bring their brands to life. When asked what she enjoys most about running the business, she reflects on the creative freedom, relationships, and flexibility that continue to make business ownership rewarding.
“ I love having creative input into a client’s packaging. We work with all sorts of businesses, candle companies, skincare brands, etc, and I love helping them get everything right. The colours, the finishes, all of those details. It fills that creative void for me. The other thing I love about being in my own business is that I can make a decision, act on it, and move quickly. In big corporate environments, you often need approval from multiple people before anything can happen, and that can really stifle creativity. If someone comes to me with an idea, I’m usually pretty quick to say, ‘Yep, let’s try it,’ or ‘Let’s see how that works.’ I like being able to move fast and make decisions without waiting around. I also really love working with people.
Some clients are amazing to work with, and they really value the experience and knowledge I can offer. I don’t just print their box …I help them think about things they may not have considered before. That guidance comes from years of experience, and clients really appreciate it. And then there’s the flexibility. If I want to go and have a coffee with Mark in the morning and not start work until 10 o’clock, I can do that. Or if my granddaughter needs me and I have to rush and pick her up because she’s sick, I can do that too. It just means I’ll work later. I don’t necessarily work a strict nine-to-five every day. I can move things around, and I really value that flexibility.”
As a family-run business, Michelle also talks openly about the experience of working alongside her husband, Mark, and son, Jett, sharing both the benefits and challenges that come with mixing family and business.
“Jett, my youngest son, used to help me during school holidays, and after he left school he worked in the business too. He knows the business really well and he’s very detail-oriented, which is great. Mark and I still work together all the time. He helps me, I help him. If I’m doing a trade show, he’ll come and help me there. He’s also our tech person. Yesterday, the PC that runs the ribbon printer completely died, it was about 11 years old, so he quickly went out, bought a new PC, hooked everything back up, and got it running again. I know how to use all the systems, but I just don’t have time to learn all the technical side of things, so he’s really good at that. The challenges of working with family mostly come when something personal happens. If there’s a family emergency or someone passes away, the business is affected straight away because we’re all so involved in it. Most customers are understanding if you put an out-of-office message on explaining there’s been a family emergency, but it could still mean missing opportunities or losing potential business. So there are disadvantages, but there’s also comfort in knowing you’ve got people around you who understand the business and can help when needed.”
Balancing business ownership with being a wife, mother, and grandmother has remained a priority throughout Michelle’s career. When asked how she manages these responsibilities, she explains why flexibility has always been one of the greatest benefits of running her own business.
“I really try not to work past five o’clock unless there’s something pressing. Normally, if everything is running smoothly, I’ll work more like a standard nine-to-five day, and that’s usually enough to keep things moving. But at the same time, if someone in my family needs me in the middle of the day, I’m there. One of the main reasons I left the corporate world and started my own business was because I wanted to be there for my family. My boys dad was very sick with cancer, and I wanted to know that if they needed me, they could call me and I could just go. I didn’t want to worry about whether a boss or supervisor would approve leave or tell me I couldn’t go. That flexibility was really important to me. You can always answer an email later or finish a quote later, but your family has to come first.”
Michelle also speaks about her belief that every business, regardless of size, should have access to professional packaging options, explaining why accessibility and inclusivity have always been important parts of the Bespoke Packaging vision.
“I think it’s really important that even if you’re a small business, you should still be able to look as professional as the big guys. When I first started, a lot of packaging companies would only sell huge quantities, so the minimum orders were really high. That’s really hard for people who are just starting out. Even now, I get people coming to me saying, ‘We’re only just starting, what can we do?’ And I’ll say, ‘Well, we can do professionally printed stickers, printed ribbons, tissue paper, things that elevate your brand without needing to spend $10,000 on packaging.’ I wanted people to feel like there were options for them no matter where they were in business. By talking with clients, I can usually work out where they’re at, what their budget is, and what’s realistic for them right now. Sometimes they literally don’t have much money at all, so it’s about helping them create something professional within their budget. Our minimum order quantities are also much lower than a lot of other companies, which makes things more accessible for smaller businesses.”
Bringing the conversation to a close, Michelle reflects on the advice she would give her younger self before starting Bespoke Packaging and the lessons she has learned throughout her entrepreneurial journey.
“Just start. Give it a go. Sometimes we stop ourselves because things aren’t perfect. You think the video isn’t perfect, the photos aren’t perfect, or the product isn’t ready enough. But if you don’t put it out there, no one sees it. I’ll give you an example. I created a video showing one of our coffee cup stamps, it’s a rubber stamp that rolls across coffee cups. I filmed myself talking in the video, which made me really uncomfortable because I hate seeing and hearing myself on camera. But I thought, ‘Whatever, I’m just going to do it.’ We ended up running it as a Facebook ad and sold hundreds of those stamps. The response was huge. If I hadn’t just gone for it and posted it anyway, none of that would have happened.
One of the biggest things I’d tell myself is not to be so focused on scaling the business bigger and bigger. For a long time, I was told to grow, hire more staff, to expand and I did that. I had a lot more employees at one stage. But personally, I never really made more money from it. It just created more stress and more people depending on me. So if I did it all again, I’d focus more on working smarter instead of just growing bigger. That’s probably one of the biggest changes I’ve made in recent years. Finding ways to do more without physically having to do everything myself. Sometimes you just think, ‘I’ll do it myself because it’s quicker.’ But if you’re patient and strategic, and you build better systems, it saves you so much time in the long run.”
Photography by Jessica Higgins
Article by Makenzy Morris
