How The Turtle Tribe is saving the ocean with bamboo toothbrush

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Brisbane-based teenager Ned Heaton attended a business course for kids four years ago. At the time, he was 11 years old. The course challenged students to invest $20 and generate as much profit as possible within 30 days. Working door-to-door, Ned sold bamboo toothbrushes and turned his $20 into almost $1,200.

In 2023, Ned’s business is still going strong. His environmentally-focused brand, The Turtle Tribe, has achieved an average of around 100% annual growth and has national supply contracts. In 2022, both of Ned’s parents even sold their family business to begin working for the company.

In a recent interview with SmartCompany Plus, Ned and his dad Shane Heaton (Turtle Tribe’s general manager), chatted about the benefits of running a values-aligned business and dreaming big – even when you’re not quite ready.

Like all good ideas, Ned’s concept for The Turtle Tribe evolved from a problem he was witnessing firsthand: ocean plastic pollution.