For Mitchell Ross, good business means doing good for his mob. Here’s why.
Published on the 20 September 2024 by UNSW Business School EDI Team
Growing up in a close-knit family and supportive community in La Perouse Sydney, giving back was always a priority for proud Bidjigal man, Mitchell Ross.
“Our community has always been about how we can support each other. As a teenager, I witnessed a lot of people go through hardships. It made me think about why they were having these experiences, and how I could put myself in a position to help the next generation have more opportunities,” Mitch shares.
With a strong belief that business is a vehicle to do good, his answer was to start his own business.
Today, Mitch is the Founder and CEO of the thriving company Muru Group – a business driven by a clear vision: to create pathways for future generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Since its foundation in 2012, Muru Group has provided invaluable support to Indigenous Australians in the areas of education, employment, and health and wellbeing and most recently has been awarded 'Supplier of the Year' at the inaugural All First Nations (AFN) awards.
Forging his own path
Mitch’s early career led him to start and run his own IT support service for small businesses – a process he thoroughly enjoyed. Even in these early days, Mitch looked for every opportunity to give back, repairing old computers and giving them to people who needed them most.
In 2012, he joined Australia’s largest Indigenous business directory, Supply Nation and realised there was a huge opportunity for First Nations businesses to work with large corporates. Upon advice from a respected Indigenous business owner, he shut down his IT operations and started Muru Group, reselling ink cartridges.
“I hoped by getting into the supply chain and building relationships I would be able to move back into IT support and repairs. But clients asked me for pens and paper instead. So, I figured out how to do office supplies and stationery.”
In 2014 Mitch started Muru Office Supplies, a joint venture between Muru Group and COS, the largest Australian owned stationary business.
Following through on the intention to use business for good, Muru Office Supplies gives 20% of its profits back to the community. Over 10 years that equates to over $790,000 going to community organisations that are helping forge new opportunities for Indigenous people.
Education: the pathway to success
It was a drive to “be better at business” that led Mitch back to education, completing the General Manager Program in 2016 and completing his AGSM MBAX specialising in Technology in 2021. He says this experience completely changed his mindset and outlook on education. In high school, Mitch had a fixed mindset but learned quickly that in business that won’t get you far.
“You've got no choice but to learn and adapt and figure out how you can make things better – you won't survive otherwise. AGSM @ UNSW Business School and my experience over the years has helped me to develop a growth mindset.”
Mitch also credits knowing how to competitively position the Muru brand and deliver value to his time studying at AGSM.
“The office supply business is a very competitive market. Having the tools to know how to differentiate ourselves has been critical.”
That’s why providing the right support for Indigenous people who want to embrace and navigate the world of business is something UNSW Business School is incredibly proud of. We foster an environment where we can help people strengthen, improve and determine their lives, the lives of their families and their communities.
Just like Mitch is striving to do through his business.
Creating pathways for the next generation
Mitch’s vision for his company starts with its name: Muru means ‘pathway’ in Dharawal language.
“It was important to me to choose a name that aligned to my values, my desire to give back, and was reflective of the personal journey I took to get to where I am,” he explains. “It's part of our ethos to be able to create pathways, whether that's through employment, through giving back to community, or through becoming a role model for other entrepreneurs.”
While Mitch says there are many avenues for businesses to help, he decided to focus on three core areas he believes have the biggest impact: employment, education and health and wellbeing.
One of the programs Muru supports is a playgroup for the Mossman Gorge community in North Queensland. Over the seven years Muru has been involved the group has seen great results. It has become a hub for the community, providing early childhood education and bringing together vital allied health services which historically have only been available in Cairns, an hour’s drive away.
IndigiGrow is a not-for-profit program run by First Hand Solutions, focused on propagating and revitalising native plants. Muru has been proudly involved in the program since 2019 and is currently supporting the employment of Indigenous school-based trainees. The trainees will gain hands-on horticultural skills, while learning about native plants, strengthening their connection to culture and supporting their mental health.
And by working with the Her Future Foundation, Muru also helps support First Nations women across Australia. The program helps create meaningful, long-term opportunities that transform the lives of Indigenous women across Australia, through employment, education and entrepreneurial mentoring and programs.
Sharing stories of success in sport
To fill another need in the community, Mitch and his brother Brad developed an app for the Koori Knockout – one of the biggest sporting events for Indigenous people in Australia.
The four-day carnival sees more than 140 rugby league teams, including men, women and juniors from across NSW, battle it out for the championship title.
As any sports fan can attest, events like the Koori Knockout aren’t just about the sport. They play a critical role in helping people connect, share stories and transfer knowledge. And while Mitch and Brad originally developed the KO app to give fans easy access to live updates and scores, it has turned into so much more.
“Live scoring is one aspect, but we want it to be more about people’s stories. There are so many, but there's not a lot of record-keeping. It’s really important that we capture and store these stories for our communities, so they can look back and see just how far we have come.”
With over 17,500 users, the app has become a vital part of the Koori Knockout event and an invaluable vehicle for storytelling.
And if there’s one story Mitch wants to get out there, it’s the importance of education.
“Learning can be extremely life-changing because knowledge is power. As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we are underrepresented in a lot of areas and a lot of industries, and we only make up a small percentage of the population. So, we really need to be able to learn as much as we can and apply ourselves to make an impact for our people into the future, for generations to come.”
Download the KO app and follow the live action of the Koori Knockout this October long weekend.
To find out more about how education can transform your business mindset, check out our Indigenous Preparatory Programs (Pre-Programs) and Indigenous Scholarship Opportunities.
Click here to learn more about UNSW Business School’s Indigenous Engagement