“Only the paranoid survive”: finder.com.au’s co-founder on future-proofing his business

With between three and four million visits per month, finder.com.au is Australia’s most frequented comparison website. According to co-founder and director, Fred Schebesta, to stay ahead of the game, he and his business partner Frank Restuccia have had to be penny-wise, people-focused and paranoid.   

In 2002, Schebesta, then aged 22, co-founded digital agency Freestyle Media with Restuccia, while completing a Bachelor of Finance at Macquirie University in Sydney. Four years later, the pair launched finder.com.au, with Schebesta’s motivation being to encourage people to make financial decisions with a frugal mindset.

He was named ADMA’s Australian Young Direct Marketer of the Year in 2007, the same year Freestyle Media was acquired by ASX-listed media group Q Ltd. He and Restuccia continued to run the agency until late 2009, after which time they focused on developing the finder.com.au network of comparison services.

Following the success of finder.com.au, Schebesta and Restuccia launched the brand into the US in July 2015. In addition to being a contributor for news.com.au, The Huffington Post and Fairfax Media, Schebesta makes regular TV and radio appearances and is a mentor to entrepreneurs through organisations including the University of Technology Sydney. Read more

James Harkness - Dynamic Business - 26 June 2017