“You don’t need a unicorn idea. You need to find a real gap and solve it" - Johno Mackay

Johno Mackay grew up remote in the Northern Territory, shaped by hard work, risk-taking parents, and a deep love for the bush. In this conversation, Johno shares the path from School of the Air and station life to building a contract mustering and fencing business in Northern Australia, before an accident in his team pushed him into an entirely new chapter: ag tech.What followed was the creation of JobSafe Pro, a practical safety and compliance platform designed to help agricultural businesses simplify paperwork, think more clearly about risk, and build stronger safety systems without adding more complexity.This episode is about far more than an app. It is about backing yourself young, learning to lead, finding opportunity in tough moments, and recognising that agriculture today can open more doors than ever before. Johno also shares his belief in the value of the North, the importance of mentors, and why the people who get ahead are often the ones willing to work hard, show initiative, and keep having a crack.It is a grounded and forward-looking conversation about agriculture, ambition, safety, and building something meaningful from the bush.In this episode we coverGrowing up remote in the Northern Territory and the influence of familyLife after School of the Air and heading to Emerald Ag CollegeStarting a contract mustering business at 21Building a life and business in Northern AustraliaThe opportunity that still exists for young people in the NorthLessons in work ethic, leadership and earning trustA serious workplace accident and the reality of risk in agricultureWhy farm safety needs more attention across the sectorTurning a hard experience into the idea for JobSafe ProWhat Johno learned through Farmers2FoundersBuilding partnerships with AgForce and EldersBringing Patrick into the business after a life-changing accidentWhy the future of agriculture will belong to people willing to learn, move and adapt