SOME of the most successful startups in the world came from humble beginnings and Charli and Balin Smith hope to follow in their footsteps.

The entrepreneurial siblings from Lake Cathie have just launched their own businesses and are already signing up clients.

Charli, who is eleven (almost twelve), wanted to do something special for the area’s nurses and care providers.

So she sourced affordable scrubs and accessories that she could customise.

“I was really inspired by the team at Port Macquarie Base Hospital,” she said.

In addition to colourful scrubs, she has “cardholders with little gnomes on them to hold your ID in [and] these personal alarms that I put pom poms on.

“They’re really cute.”

Charli even set up her own business page called ‘Charli’s Nursing Scrubs and Accessories’.

Little brother Balin said he has been wanting to set up a business since he was “around six or seven”.

Now that he’s all of nine-years-old, the Lake Cathie Public School student has launched BB’s Bin Service.

He was inspired after seeing how hard it was for elderly members of the community to put their rubbish out for collection each week.

“I used to ride around and see everyone was struggling,” he said.

“This is to help those who find it difficult.”

He already has nine clients and ensures he has back-up on stand-by on “bins night”.

“I’ve got a little book in my bag and I [follow] that and I have a phone in my bag in case I need to ring Mum and Dad.”

Balin’s marketing strategy is different to his big sister’s.

His business flyer may just be waiting in the letterbox the next time you have a running battle with the wheelie bin.

By Sue STEPHENSON