An inspiring young father has overcome learning difficulties so severe he felt like 'the stupid one' in every room to grow a backyard hobby into a multimillion-dollar business.
Melbourne's Ben Whyatt, 33, wondered why he couldn't read a book or study from a textbook at university until he was diagnosed just eight years ago with dyslexia.
His belief 'that I was just an idiot' fell away to the point he's just signed a major deal with a supermarket chain for his part-time healthy pet treat business Doggylicious.
He also now has over 400 suppliers for his dog treats, which he describes as 'dog-friend, human-grade' treats.
He says getting a dyslexia diagnosis freed him from crippling self-doubt and helped him focus on what he's good at.
An inspiring young father has overcome dyslexia so severe he felt like 'the stupid one' in every room to grow a backyard hobby into a multimillion-dollar business (pictured Mr Whyatt with wife Sheree Spiteri)
Mr Whyatt works up to 40 hours a week on Doggylicious after finishing his full-time day job as a sourcing manager for a food company, he's a husband (to Sheree) and father to a five year old (Evie) and hosts a podcast
Mr Whyatt's annual sales turnover went from $50,000 when he launched in 2020 - during the pandemic - and he expects to top $1million once his range hits Coles shelves in March.
That business growth, partly based on relatable marketing, has seen Mr Whyatt recognised as one of Australia's top small business leaders.
Instead of being a source of shame, the diagnosis allowed him to understand why his brain worked differently from others.
Mr Whyatt overcame severe dyslexia and believing he was 'stupid' to have a successful corporate career and become one of Australia's small business leaders
'The dyslexic brain is constantly switched on but trying to keep up. At school, I was always trying to keep up with what teachers said so I didn't look stupid.
'The impact of dyslexia is crazy. I still cant read books, because the letters bounce around.'
He describes the realisation he could listen to recorded books as a game-changer.
'I took in the information much better than if I was to read a book. At university I didn't take one note, I recorded every lecture and I used to walk everywhere listening to the lectures.
'That's how I passed.'
Mr Whyatt started to see the ways he’d adapted to overcome his learning difficulties as ‘advantages’.
For instance, he developed an unusually strong long-term
