Australian student built a $10 million cable business - why she sold it and launched The Content Folk

Nicole Kersh started 4Cabling as a sole trader in her parents’ garage in 2004 after spotting a gap in the Australian market for cabling and IT management accessories.

Eight years later, the business had reached $6.5 million in annual turnover and employed 20 people.

What began as an idea while Kersh was studying interior architecture eventually became a growing online business before she sold it in 2014.

How Nicole Kersh Started 4Cabling

Kersh came up with the idea for the business after becoming frustrated by the difficulty of finding the communications products she needed.

She put her interior architecture plans on hold and began exploring whether there was an opportunity to sell cabling and IT management accessories online.

Kersh used the internet and Yellow Pages to gauge interest and develop a client base. Her father was an electrician, so that gave her some insight into the industry.

Her aim was to build an online business that could serve both consumers and businesses.

From Interior Architecture to an Online Cable Business

Kersh built the 4Cabling website while studying interior architecture at university. She had completed one subject in HTML before building the website.

She approached existing suppliers and negotiated to buy products at 10% less than the sale price before selling them online.

The business grew from that early operation in her parents’ garage.

4Cabling Reached $6.5 Million in Turnover

The company continued to expand after its launch.

SmartCompany reported in 2012 that, eight years after Kersh started 4Cabling, the business had reached an annual turnover of $6.5 million and employed 20 people.

The workforce was evenly divided between men and women, with most employees older than Kersh.

Kersh also had to navigate a traditionally male-dominated industry. She said some people did not take her seriously because she was not an electrician and was not a middle-aged man.

At times, she took her father to meetings because it made it easier for older male clients to relate to her.

Nicole Kersh Won Young Manager of the Year

Kersh got the Young Manager of the Year award from the Australian Institute of Management NSW and ACT in 2012.

She said ,“It’s an honour to be recognised and definitely motivates me to strengthen my skills,” as quoted by Smart Company.

At the time, 4Cabling was continuing to grow, bringing new changes and challenges as Kersh developed her management skills.

4Cabling Reached $10 Million in Revenue Before the Sale

Kersh's business continued to grow after reaching $6.5 million in annual turnover.

By July 2014, 4Cabling was generating $10 million a year in revenue, according to Women’s Agenda. That month, Kersh sold the business to private equity firm Gernis Holdings for an undisclosed sum.

The sale came after Kersh had spent most of her working life running the company.

She said she had reached what she described as an “experience cap” and questioned whether she could continue to sustain the business’s growth.

Kersh ultimately decided it was time to move on from 4Cabling.

Nicole Kersh Started Again After Selling 4Cabling

Selling 4Cabling did not mark the end of Kersh’s business career.

After the sale, she began considering what to do next and identified what she described as a “big black hole of content” for small and medium-sized businesses.

That led her to launch The Content Folk, a business offering content writing, design and digital strategy solutions.

She wanted to provide packaged content solutions at a fixed cost so businesses could track the return on their spending.

By the time Women’s Agenda profiled her in November 2014, Kersh was already working with a number of clients and looking to scale the new business.

From starting 4Cabling in her parents’ garage in 2004 to building a company that reached $6.5 million in annual turnover and later generated $10 million a year in revenue, Kersh’s first business became the foundation for her next venture.