bluethumb is Australia’s largest art marketplace, connecting art lovers, collectors and interior designers with emerging and established local artists.

Co-founded in 2011 by Ed Hartley and his brother George Hartley, bluethumb is now a major player in the online art space.

Recently recognised as one of Inside Small Business’s Top 50 Business Leaders, we asked Ed how long it took to get bluethumb established and the benefits of being an on-line only enterprise.

Take us back to the beginning. Where did the idea come from and what capital did you have?

When I came back from working in the Middle East I decided it was time to do something that really mattered. I’d grown up in an artistic household, seen artists struggle to make a living despite being crazy talented and realised if the rest of the world was moving online, then so too must art. We had almost no capital, and after a modest initial investment built everything ourselves with whatever income we made selling art.

How long did it take before you were confident you could make bluethumb a success?

We were bootstrapped for four years, and three-and-a-half years in I just decided to quit work and go for it. We were lucky enough to find fantastic investors quickly (this is unusual) and from there, with some capital, we grew exponentially. It was then we realised how big it could grow and the contribution we could make to the Australian art industry.