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Shark Tank Australia mentor Maxine Horne shared an Instagram clip on March 1, 2025, where she opened up about three businesses that she would "never touch." The female entrepreneur discussed building a $875 million+ retail business from scratch.
However, Maxine mentioned three businesses she would never prefer to go into. They were restaurants, niche products/services, and low-margin businesses. Shark Tank Australia mentor captioned the Instagram clip with:
"As someone who built an $875M+ retail business from scratch here are three businesses I'd never touch. Restaurants: No chance. High failure rate, brutal hours, and razor-thin margins. If you don't live for it, don't bother. Niche products/services: Too risky. If there aren't enough people who need it, how do you expect to make real money? No customers, no business. Simple."
She added:
"Low-margin businesses: Absolutely not. If your margins are in the single digits, you're working for scraps. Your time's worth more than that. Business is hard enough—pick the right game to play."
Shark Tank Australia's Maxine Horne reveals three businesses she would "never" touch
A Shark Tank Australia judge, Maxine Horne, shared in an Instagram clip while stating her views on specific businesses, referring to the three businesses she would "never" touch.
These businesses were:
- Restaurants,
- Niche products/ Services,
- Low-margin businesses.
Maxine said she would never opt for "anything" about food. The reason behind that was the restaurant industry, according to her, is:
"very, very tough."
She added that she doesn't have "passion" for the business.
Next were products and/or services with a niche appeal. She referred, saying:
"Secondly, a product or a service that only has a niche appeal. I think you're setting yourself up for failure if you haven't got that many people to sell your product or service to."
She further stated that businesses with low margins at the gross margin level would not be her preferred choice. Sharing insights for young entrepreneurs looking for advice, she mentioned that a "single digit" margin is not "worth" the time.
In her most recent Instagram post, released on March 9, 2025, the Shark Tank Australia mentor wrote the following caption:
"Don't stop dreaming, keep learning, and keep going. You've got this."
The post revealed two scenarios. One was from 40 years ago, while the second was "now." In this interesting before/after post, Maxine stated that 40 years ago, she left school at 16. After that, she took risks and worked hard. As a result, she:
"Built a business that generated $875M+ in revenue, creating opportunities for 2500+ team members along the way."
In the second scenario, stated "now," she described herself as:
"self-made millionaire."
Sharing more about her business, the Shark Tank Australia mentor noted that after selling the Vita Group, she continued mentoring, investing, and backing the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Maxine concluded the post with:
"I've built the life I once dreamed of. Take rists, work hard, trust the process, it's worth it!"
Entrepreneurs seeking more inspiring ideas and business insights can follow Maxine Horne on Instagram (@maxinehorne_official).
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