From $0 to $20 Million: Josh Saunders on Building Logmaster

What does it take to identify a genuine industry problem, develop the right solution and turn it into a multimillion-dollar Australian technology company?

In this episode of the Business Advice Podcast, Adam James and David Lui sit down with Josh Saunders, co-founder and Managing Director of Logmaster Australia, to discuss the company's journey from an early-stage idea to a business presented in the episode as being valued at approximately $20 million.

Josh shares the origins of Logmaster, the lessons he learned through sales and entrepreneurship, the importance of finding the right business partner and why listening closely to customers helped the company establish itself in Australia's heavy transport industry.

Turning ADHD Into a Business Advantage

Josh was born in Hobart before moving to Brisbane as a child. He was diagnosed with ADHD at an early age and openly discusses the difficulties this created during his school years.

He struggled to concentrate on subjects that did not interest him, while becoming intensely focused on areas he found engaging. As he grew older, Josh learned to treat this ability to hyperfocus as a strength rather than simply a limitation.

That self-awareness became particularly valuable in business.

Josh developed an early interest in computers, business, English and science. He also discovered a passion for sales, working across door-to-door sales, telephone sales, retail promotions, automotive sales and other customer-facing roles.

Those experiences taught him how to speak with customers, identify their concerns and recognise opportunities other people might overlook.

Finding Opportunities Inside Existing Businesses

A recurring theme throughout Josh's career has been his ability to notice gaps in the customer experience.

While working at Harvey Norman, customers regularly asked who could install the products they had purchased and teach them how to use them. Josh recognised an opportunity and created a side business providing in-home installation and technology training.

He would work during the day before visiting customers in the evening to set up their equipment. The service eventually expanded to include technology training for senior citizens who wanted to learn how to use Skype, Facebook and other digital platforms.

A similar opportunity arose when Josh worked with Menulog.

At the time, many restaurants wanted to join the platform but did not have their own delivery drivers. Josh created a recruitment service that helped restaurants find and engage local drivers.

The arrangement benefited everyone involved: restaurants could begin offering deliveries, local people gained work and Menulog could bring more businesses onto its platform.

The lesson was simple but powerful:

Pay attention to what customers repeatedly ask for. Their frustrations may reveal the foundations of your next business.

How Logmaster Began

The idea that eventually became Logmaster emerged while Josh and his future co-founder, Stewart, were working in Australia's rideshare industry.

Passengers were reporting concerns about drivers appearing fatigued after spending too many hours on the road. One of the difficulties was that drivers could move between different rideshare platforms, making it difficult for any individual provider to understand how long they had actually been driving.

Josh and Stewart began exploring technology that could record time behind the wheel and help drivers manage fatigue.

The original product was designed for rideshare and passenger transport. However, discussions with transport operators revealed a much larger opportunity.

Heavy vehicle businesses faced significant administrative and compliance burdens associated with recording drivers' work and rest periods. Drivers were still relying heavily on paper work diaries, while businesses needed an efficient way to monitor records and demonstrate compliance.

Logmaster therefore evolved into a compliance automation platform for the heavy vehicle industry.

Today, Logmaster describes itself as an Australian compliance automation company whose NHVR-accredited Electronic Work Diary replaces paper logbooks with an electronic record of drivers' work and rest periods. The system is available for compatible Apple and Android smartphones and tablets.

Solve the Problem Before Building the Product

Logmaster was not developed solely from assumptions made inside an office.

Josh and his team consulted transport businesses, compliance managers and other industry professionals to understand:

• What systems operators were already using
• What those systems were failing to provide
• Which compliance processes created the most frustration
• What an ideal system would look like
• Which features were essential for drivers, administrators and larger fleets

That research shaped the first version of the platform.

Once customers began using Logmaster, the company continued gathering feedback and adding new capabilities. Smaller operators requested reports and exports, while major corporate fleets required more sophisticated features involving multiple depots, administrators, drivers and regions.

Rather than treating customer requests as interruptions, Logmaster used them to guide product development.

Josh describes customers asking for a particular function and then being surprised when the team returned several weeks later having built it.

That responsiveness helped create customer loyalty while steadily improving the platform.

Product-Market Fit Is Only the Beginning

A strong product is important, but Josh believes several other factors contributed to Logmaster's growth.

Exceptional customer support

Transport is not a conventional nine-to-five industry. Drivers may be working at any hour, and access to their compliance system can be critical.

Logmaster therefore placed significant emphasis on responsive customer support. Josh explains that customers should feel the company is only one phone call away.

That commitment helped the business differentiate itself from providers that were difficult to contact or slow to resolve problems.

Listening to the people using the product

The Logmaster team continued speaking with drivers, administrators and business owners after the platform launched.

This feedback produced practical improvements that made the system increasingly useful across businesses of different sizes.

It also contributed to strong word of mouth. Josh shares examples of drivers showing the application to one another at truck stops and transport operators recommending it to other businesses.

Clear branding and communication

Logmaster's message is centred on making compliance easier for drivers and transport companies.

Josh says customers frequently mentioned the company's clean website, straightforward information and accessible presentation when explaining why they chose Logmaster.

In a complex and heavily regulated industry, clarity became a competitive advantage.

A channel-based sales strategy

Rather than relying entirely on direct sales, Logmaster built relationships with telematics providers, vehicle technology businesses and transport consultants already serving the company's target market.

These partners could offer Logmaster alongside their existing products and services.

The model allowed Logmaster to reach more transport businesses while benefiting from relationships and trust that its partners had already established.

The company still supports demonstrations and customer education, but purchases can be completed through approved providers. As Josh explains during the conversation, Logmaster learned to serve directly without necessarily selling directly.

Choosing the Right Co-Founder

Josh credits much of Logmaster's success to his partnership with co-founder Stewart.

The two founders have complementary strengths.

Josh focuses heavily on sales, relationships and frontline customer engagement. Stewart brings greater structure, operational discipline and strategic organisation to the business.

Josh's advice regarding business partners is direct: do not enter a partnership simply because someone is available or enthusiastic.

A co-founder must be trustworthy, responsible and prepared to work exceptionally hard. Starting and growing a company places enormous pressure on everyone involved, and weaknesses in the partnership can quickly become weaknesses in the business.

The right partnership, however, can give each founder the freedom to concentrate on the areas where they provide the greatest value.

Skills Can Be Taught — Attitude Is Harder

Hiring also becomes increasingly important as a business grows.

Josh looks for people who understand the opportunity, believe in the product, treat others well and are prepared to work hard.

Technical abilities can often be developed through training. Attitude, reliability and personal responsibility are far more difficult to teach.

This is particularly important in a customer-focused business. Every employee becomes a representative of the brand, and one poor hiring decision can affect customers, culture and the wider team.

The Reality Behind the Success Story

From the outside, a successful startup can appear to have followed a smooth and predictable path.

The reality was very different.

During Logmaster's early development, Josh and Stewart were still working full-time jobs. Josh describes working through the day, spending time with his family and then returning to the computer until approximately two in the morning.

Capital was another continuing challenge. Developing a sophisticated platform across Apple and Android devices required funding, technical expertise and the right investors.

Josh also stresses the importance of having a capable accountant or chief financial officer. Revenue alone does not tell a founder whether the company is genuinely performing well. Business owners need accurate reporting, cash-flow management and a clear understanding of profitability.

Building a business was not presented as the fastest or easiest way to make money. It required sacrifice, uncertainty and long periods of sustained effort.

However, Josh also describes the rewards of creating something from nothing, reaching profitability and seeing customers genuinely value what the company has built.

Business Success Is Often a Family Effort

The conversation also explores the effect that entrepreneurship can have on family life.

Josh acknowledges that his family carried part of the burden during the company's most demanding stages. Long hours and constant responsibility meant he could not always be as available as he would have liked.

His wife's support played an important role in allowing him to continue building the business.

The discussion challenges the idea that work and family must always operate as completely separate parts of life. In many entrepreneurial families, the business becomes a shared undertaking — even when only one person officially works inside the company.

Communication is essential. Family members need to understand the purpose behind the sacrifice, the future being built and the responsibilities the business owner is carrying.

At the same time, founders must learn how to switch off, remain present and protect the relationships supporting them.

Lessons for Business Owners

Josh Saunders' story provides several practical lessons for entrepreneurs and established business owners:

1. Look for recurring problems. Repeated customer complaints often point towards valuable opportunities.
2. Talk to the market before building. A product should be shaped by the people expected to use it.
3. Keep listening after launch. Customer feedback can become an ongoing product-development strategy.
4. Make complex things simple. Clear branding and communication can differentiate a business in a technical industry.
5. Customer service still matters. Being easy to contact can become a major competitive advantage.
6. Build distribution, not only a sales team. Strategic partners can provide access to established customer relationships.
7. Choose business partners carefully. Complementary skills, trust and work ethic matter more than enthusiasm alone.
8. Hire for attitude as well as ability. Every employee influences the brand and culture.
9. Understand the numbers. Strong accounting and financial management are fundamental to sustainable growth.
10. Recognise the people behind the founder. Family support is often an important but underappreciated part of entrepreneurial success.

Watch the Full Conversation

The full episode explores Josh's childhood, his experience with ADHD, his background in sales, the creation of Logmaster, raising capital, hiring employees, choosing a co-founder and balancing business responsibilities with family life.

Watch "From $0 to $20M: The Story of Logmaster from Founder Josh Saunders" on

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To learn more about Logmaster and its electronic work diary and transport compliance solutions, visit the Logmaster Australia website.

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