From a small country town, Ashley (Ash) Gulwell went from a career as a butcher, then relocated for a mining industry career-change, then with a desire to gain more control, his own business, which led him to lawn-care and Coochie HydroGreen.

Ashley (Ash) Gulwell grew up in a small country town called Byabarra in NSW. His family was very self-sufficient, growing everything themselves and living off the land as much as possible.

A motorbike enthusiast, Ash always thought he’d end up doing something in his career that involved them. Whatever he did, he was inspired at a grass roots level by his parents to work hard and give everything his best effort.

A butchers apprenticeship after year 11

Ash didn’t consider himself an academic and didn’t enjoy school, leaving at the start of year 12 to start an apprenticeship with the local butcher he’d worked with since the age of 14. This was where he met one of the most influential mentors of his career to date.

Colin Gillespie of Munster Street Meats was an old school businessman. At 70 years + and only just now retired, he’s had many years in the game. Ash recalls how he inspired him, saying “Colin taught me all the fundamentals of business. He taught me that if I work hard, I’ll always get out of it what I put into it.”

Ash worked with Colin until just before his 30th birthday, where he moved to Gladstone, QLD and embarked on a new adventure in hydroblasting.

An alternative career path appears out of nowhere

Ash always wanted to start his own business but didn’t know where to take the plunge or how.

“I always had some sort of a sideline thing happening to make a few extra dollars. I used to sharpen knives for local restaurants and sell butcher knives,” he said.

Ash knew that he needed to find something that delivered the trifecta… something he enjoyed, something that made him money and set him up for the future, and something that kept his interest.

One day Ash stumbled across an ad for Coochie Hydrogreen.

His first impression was a great one, when unbeknownst to him at the time CEO Ania Sienko answered the phone. Ash did his own research by calling other franchisees and soon realised the genuinity of the company when they mirrored what the CEO had said.

From there, the decision was easy to join the team.

“No one can do what we do. It’s rewarding.”

Ash remembers the process of joining up being simple and supportive, recalling that “the team held my hand and have consistently worked with me along the journey.”

“Coochie is so successful because it actually works. There is no gimmick. Our products do as we say they do and customers see results in no time if they follow a few simple instructions.”

Ash started with no customers or brand awareness in his local area. So off he went to work, delivering flyers, placing ads on local buses, running radio ads and starting a Facebook page (which now has over 1.1k followers).

Ash’s hard work has paid off and his quality of life has improved enormously, proven by his recent win at the annual company conference of ‘Highest new starts per region’. 

His pride is clear when he talks about his journey.

“I'm really proud of what I have achieved in a short time. This was achievable thanks to hard work and the support of my partner and the team at Coochie Hydrogreen. I now have a full-time employee, 2 trucks on the road and have opened a warehouse.”

In fact, the level of success Ash has demonstrated is usually only seen after 5-6 years of trading.

“I can now work my own hours and get the satisfaction of achieving the goals I set for myself. Coochie are the market leaders in this space. We have around 34 years of knowledge. No one can do what we do. It’s rewarding. We’re a family friendly business and all in it to help each other.”

Ash has this advice for anyone looking to follow their goals, “Go for it, give it your all, you only get out of it what you put into it.”