How Anaita Sarkar Built a Multi-Million Dollar Brand From Her Living Room

When Hero Packaging nearly collapsed, founder Anaita Sarkar was faced with an impossible choice, walk away from the brand she built, or risk everything to bring it back to life. In this powerful episode, she breaks down the story of losing millions, betting on a $250,000 machine, and rebuilding a sustainable brand from the ground up.Listeners will learn how Hero Packaging moved from manufacturing in China to running its own Australian facility, the emotional toll of scaling too fast, and the surprising link between sustainability, profit, and personal purpose. Sarkar, an author, speaker, and e-commerce leader, shares her raw lessons on resilience, founder burnout, and why being different will always beat being better.If you’re a business owner trying to balance growth with values, this is the real talk you’ve been waiting for.Key Takeaways:I learned that the real test of purpose isn’t when things go right. It’s when you’re told to shut everything down and still choose to fight.Going “all in” on Australian manufacturing nearly broke us but it became the reason we survived.Building a founder-led brand isn’t about selling; it’s about showing up, standing for something, and being unapologetically honest.Timestamps:[00:00:21] – The origin of Hero Packaging and the spark behind compostable mailers[00:03:01] – The nine-month struggle to manufacture a product that didn’t exist[00:05:51] – Rapid growth—and the shock of being told to shut down[00:07:57] – The burnout, debt, and the decision to risk it all again[00:10:00] – Raising $1.5M—and how it almost destroyed the business[00:11:12] – The $250K machine that changed everything[00:13:17] – Using a personal brand to rebuild Hero’s reputation[00:17:43] – Why Hero refuses to take shortcuts, even when competitors do[00:21:23] – Building a distinctive brand instead of a “better” one[00:36:56] – The power (and risk) of working with your life partnerLinks:Anaita Sarkar's LinkedInHero PackagingOlivia and CoInstant websiteLiam Millward's LinkedIn