Morgan Hipworth's business is turning over more than A$500,000 a year. Photo / Instagram
Morgan Hipworth's business is turning over more than A$500,000 a year. Photo / Instagram
Most teens take the time to blow off some steam after finishing high school — but instead, Morgan Hipworth got straight back to work.
For years, the 18-year-old had juggled school work with his doughnut institution, Bistro Morgan, located in Windsor in inner Melbourne.
When he finished his HSC last year, the entrepreneur was thrilled — because it meant he had more time to devote to his thriving A$500,000 ($539,000)-a-year business.
"It's much easier now I've finished school — last year it was head down, bum up, and I don't know how I fit it in because I'm so busy now," he told news.com.au.
"I try to take the time to go to the gym in the morning or afternoon, but I really do love doing it.
"It is work, but it feels like a hobby, so if I'm at home with nothing to do, I default back to doing work because if you find a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life."
Hipworth became "obsessed" with baking and cooking shows at the age of just seven but got his first break at age 13 after chatting with a cafe owner after a lunch with his mum Ellie.
He ended up supplying that cafe with daily orders of brownies, cakes and slices for several years, but when he was in year 9, he seized the chance to open his own pop-up store, selling 10,000 doughnuts in just over a week.
In December 2016, Bistro Morgan opened in the same location as a permanent store, and last May he appeared on the season four premiere of Channel 10's Shark Tank, wowing judges Naomi Simson and Janine Allis.
He's also caught the eye of Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, who labelled the young entrepreneur — who has a 71,000-strong social media following — as a "one-in-a-million star".
Hipworth appeared on Channel 10's Shark Tank last year. Photo / Supplied
But despite his success — and seriously impressive annual turnover — Hipworth said he'd experienced "lots of mixed reactions" from his peers.
"Unfortunately in Australia I've experienced a lot of tall poppy syndrome, which is quite prevalent here," he said.
"It's a shame because it seems like when anybody does something different and does well, there are people who want to bring them down, and that's something I've definitely experienced from a lot of people and peers I went to school with, although at the same time there's been lots of amazing support.
"Starting your own business is not something every kid does, and it shows you have passion, if you find what you want to do at a young age. But unfortunately a lot of kids hate on me, maybe because they're jealous and frustrated I've found my calling.
"I've experienced hate and negativity in my time, and in the past few days people have created fake Google accounts and left one-star reviews on my business page. People think it's funny, and it's such a shame we live in a society that thinks it's funny to hang sh*t on people who are different."
But Hipworth said it hadn't all been hard work, and he had recently enjoyed a month-long holiday in the US that gave him the chance to relax — although he also brought Bistro Morgan to Los Angeles via a four-day pop-up store during the trip.
While his business revenue is impressive, he said he didn't tend to splurge on expensive treats for himself, instead preferring to reinvest in his company in the form of renovations and equipment.
"I'm not really the type to make lush purchases like a car — and I'm still on my learner's," he said.
"My big hairy ambition for the rest of my life is to enjoy every second, but I would like to travel and look at opening more pop-up stores overseas because it's a great way to see the world and bring my business to the world at the same time.
"I'd also love to invest in an apartment or a house one day — travel and property are definitely my two biggest end goals outside the business."
Hipworth — who featured on Sunday Night last month — said he found school quite "mundane and boring" and he had no immediate plans to pursue further study.
He said he didn't plan on opening a string of restaurants, instead preferring to focus on his existing eatery — and one of his ultimate professional dreams would be to have his own cooking program.
This week, he relaunched his business as Bistro Morgan Artisan Bakehouse & Cafe, which now offers breakfast and lunch, with sourdough bread handmade onsite daily and an expanded line of cookies and scrolls added to the list of tasty treats.
He's also got some new TV projects in the pipeline.
