Grow A Small Business Podcast · Troy Trewin

From Pro Ironman to 125+ Stockists: Daniel McDonnell's Maple Movement Revolution – How Gut Issues Sparked a Natural Energy Gel Brand Scaling to $500K, 70K Months & National Growth Without Big Investors. (Episode 766 - Daniel McDonnell)

·31 min·2 clips

Maple Movement went from a gut problem to 125 stockists and a $500K run rate.

The episode opens with the business based up in Cairns and the founder’s path into the category. Daniel explains that the idea started after gut issues hit while he was working as a professional Ironman and triathlete in 2023. He dug into possible remedies and landed on maple syrup as the base for a gut-friendly maple gel. The product then launched in late 2024. From there, the business moved quickly into online sales and retail distribution. At the time of the conversation, it was in 125 stockists around Australia and had also reached some shops in New Zealand. Daniel and Ella, his wife and business partner, started by packing orders from home. The company has since grown to four full-time employees and is soon moving to a 3PL in a couple of weeks. The host points to the growth and credits the team for how it is working together. Daniel talks about people leaning into their strengths. He describes Mitch coming on board and being very active in the business. He also talks about the team using Slack and a Wins channel to keep momentum visible. Ella is leading content. One reel apparently reached 200,000 people organically. The conversation then turns to funding. Daniel says most of the business has been funded by him and Ella. Mitch has invested some cash as well. There are also a couple of loans in the mix. He says he has put in another 40 to 50 himself and that the company has explored other options too. The host presses on whether equity should be the last resort. Daniel seems torn between taking on investment and growing faster versus bootstrapping for sustainability. They also touch on Shopify loans, which come up as expensive. The host mentions bank finance, government grants, and the idea that the business could likely access more traditional lending now that it has some traction. The overall tone stays practical rather than flashy. The episode keeps returning to the same founder questions: what got the business started, what made it work, how the team is structured, and how growth can stay sustainable.

As heard by us

A practical founder story about turning a personal problem into a growing, mostly self-funded business.

Daniel McDonnell's story has a clean founder arc with enough grit to feel lived in: gut issues during professional Ironman and triathlon racing in 2023, some research, and then a gut-friendly maple gel that moved from home packing to 125 stockists around Australia and some in…

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Why you'd press play

You want a founder story that starts with gut trouble and ends with 125 stockists.

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