Amanda Franklin, a former associate director at the Commonwealth Bank, has turned her redundancy into an entrepreneurial venture. After losing her job in November 2024, Franklin, who resides in Perth and is a mother of three, decided to launch her own company, Strollr, focusing on a new line of safety-compliant wagon prams for the Australian market.
Franklin’s journey began as a light-hearted discussion among family members about her potential to start a business. She often attracted attention while out with her American wagon pram, prompting curiosity from other parents. “The market to sell them in Australia was obvious,” she noted, but it wasn’t until her job loss that she took the idea seriously.
After a few unsuccessful job interviews, Franklin found herself wishing she wouldn’t get hired. “It was almost like that feeling of being disappointed if I got a job really showed me what I want to do,” she explained. This sentiment is echoed by career coach Kate Richardson, who describes this as “turning a crisis into an opportunity.” In uncertain job markets, many consider self-employment as a viable path.
Government statistics indicate a shift toward self-employment in Australia. As of June 2024, more than 63.6 percent of Australian businesses were classified as “self-employed,” up from 62.5 percent the previous year. Yet, the path to entrepreneurship is not without its risks. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), between 2024 and 2025, 16.4 percent of the country’s 2.7 million businesses were new entrants, while 13.9 percent closed their doors.
Career coach Emma Maslen suggests that redundancy can serve as a catalyst for pursuing dreams of self-employment. “A redundancy payout can really help,” she reflected, recalling her own experience. She advises those considering entrepreneurship to carefully assess their financial situation. “Often people haven’t run the numbers,” she added.
Richardson cautioned against adopting a “scarcity mindset,” which can hinder progress. “Even if they have an idea to start their own business, they can get stuck on the scale of the challenge and never take a step,” she said. Her advice is to start with small, manageable steps.
Franklin’s experience at the Commonwealth Bank proved invaluable. She transitioned from a teller to associate director of transaction banking solutions, where she assisted companies in securing funding for new products. This background equipped her with the necessary skills to develop her business plan for Strollr.
The idea for Strollr emerged when Franklin struggled to manage grocery shopping with her three children. She discovered wagon prams, a common choice for American families but rare in Australia. After ordering one from Amazon, she faced challenges due to local safety standards. “It took [Amazon] a long time to decide whether they were going to send it to me or not,” Franklin recalled. However, once it arrived, the response was overwhelmingly positive from other parents.
“Everywhere I go, I have mums and dads come up to me saying, ‘Wow, what is this? Where’d you get it from?’” she said. Franklin’s research revealed that while many brands in the US offer stroller wagons, they were not available in Australia.
Working closely with the Commonwealth Bank’s innovation lab and completing design thinking certification further empowered Franklin. She felt that reinvesting her redundancy payout into her business was a way to support her family and her own ambitions.
Lifestyle considerations also played a significant role in her decision to start a business. According to Maslen, evaluating how a job aligns with one’s life stage is essential. Franklin reflected, “The landscape changes when you’ve got kids. It’s about how I’m going to pivot and fit a career in with kids.”
Now, with an investment of $80,000 into her venture, she is optimistic that her decision to back herself will yield positive results. As Strollr prepares for its public launch in October, Franklin hopes to carve out a space in the Australian market and provide families with innovative solutions for their day-to-day lives.
