About Driven Young
Built for the founder I used to be.
Driven Young started as a podcast in 2019. Today it's a week in Bali for founders in their 20s and 30s who want a business that gives them freedom, not one that burns them out.
My story
I built the thing I needed.
I'm Byron. I went straight out of school into business, and nobody told me how lonely building something in your 20s would be. My first business, a video marketing agency, didn't survive COVID.
In 2019 I started a podcast called Driven Young. It grew into a community, then events, then a program that 1,100 people went through. We launched in Melbourne and Brisbane, ran more than 250 events, and our content has now had more than 250 million views, with 400,000 people following along on TikTok.
In early 2024 I took our first group of founders to Bali. I've never found anything more impactful than a retreat.
From the outside it looked like it was all working. Inside, I'd taken on more than $250,000 of debt and burnt myself out. I'd lost my energy and the passion that started it all.
I also watched my mum run herself into the ground with a business that was eating her alive. I took her for a walk and told her to sell it. She did. She's now working from Darwin on her own terms, and she's the happiest I have ever seen her.
So I rebuilt Driven Young around the thing that worked best. We ran our first Founders Retreat in March 2026 and our second in August. Incredible people, amazing results, and the business completely turned around. We paid off more than 70% of the debt in the first year.
Sixty founders have now been on a Driven Young retreat.
The timeline
How we got here.
Age 14
The camp
Dad took me on a father-son camp. Three days in the bush, no phones. It was the first time I ever saw him cry, and the first time I saw what a different environment and the right people can do.
Out of school
My first business
I went straight into running a video marketing agency. While my mates had coworkers and lunch breaks, I sat alone in coworking spaces. Seven of them, in the end.
2019
The podcast
I started a podcast called Driven Young, about the things school never taught us. That is where it all began.
2020
COVID
The agency didn't survive COVID.
December 2021
The first event
We ran our first in-person event and launched our first program. Over the years that followed, 1,100 people went through it.
New city
Melbourne
Driven Young launched in Melbourne. It was never going to be just a Sydney thing.
New city
Brisbane
Then Brisbane. More cities, more rooms full of people building something of their own.
Milestone
1,000 in the community
More than 1,000 ambitious young people joined the Driven Young community.
Milestone
250 events
We passed 250 events. Workshops, weekends and nights that brought the right people into the same room.
Early 2024
The first retreat
We took our first group of founders to Bali. I've never found anything more impactful than a retreat.
The hard part
Burnt out
Behind the scenes I'd taken on more than $250,000 of debt. I was burnt out. I'd lost my energy, and the passion that started it all.
March 2026
The first Founders Retreat
We rebuilt everything around one thing: a week in Bali for founders and business owners. Our first Founders Retreat ran in March.
August 2026
The second Founders Retreat
Then August. Incredible people, amazing results, and the business completely turned around.
The first year
Back on track
We paid off more than 70% of the debt in the first year.
Today
60 founders
Sixty founders have now been on a Driven Young retreat. Twenty at a time, one villa, seven days, no phones.
2019
Driven Young began as a podcast
250M
views across our content
1,100
people through our first program
60
founders on our Bali retreats
Why we do this
Build a business that gives you your life back.
I believe in building a business for freedom. Freedom with your time, your energy and your passion. Not a business that burns you out just to make lots of money.
In a world full of AI, I think time together in person is the most valuable thing there is. I don't know anything more powerful than a retreat: taking people out of their environment and putting them in a room with people who understand.
That's what Driven Young is. A week to step back from the business, look after yourself, and come home with a clear head and people in your corner.
What we believe
Four things behind every retreat.
Environment is everything
You can't think clearly in the same room where all the noise started.
Connection over networking
No business cards, no pitch practice. Real conversations with people who get it.
Clarity before strategy
Most founders don't need more tactics. They need to step back far enough to see what matters.
The whole person grows
Health, relationships, mindset. When you grow the person, the business follows.
Meet the founder
Byron Dempsey
Founder of Driven Young and host of the Driven Young podcast. Finalist, Sydney Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2024.
If you're thinking about coming, have a look at what the week involves. If it sounds like what you need, we'll have a chat.