Nick Bell (Australian entrepreneur)

Nick Bell
Born	(1980-08-14) 14 August 1980 (age 44) Victoria, Australia
Alma mater	Victoria University, Australia
Occupation	Businessperson
Known for	Founder of Removify, WME, Appscore

Nick Bell (born 14 August 1980) is an Australian businessman. He has founded or co-founded several companies in Australia and internationally, including Appscore, Removify, Lisnic, Primal, and First Page Digital. In 2020, Bell’s net worth was estimated by Australian Financial Review 2020 Rich List to be $274 million.^[1][2]

Early life and education

Bell was born in Victoria where he was raised on a farm. He attended Mowbray High School and Victoria University, Australia.^[3] He left and went to London where he worked for several bars, prior to returning to Melbourne to continue his studies.^[4] He spent six weeks studying for a business degree before leaving school without graduating.^[5]

Career

In 2004, Bell launched his first business selling skincare products.^[6] He later closed the business due to supply chain issues. He launched WME, a search marketing firm, from his home with $400.^[6] His group of companies grew to 1200+ employees and $160 million in revenue by 2019.^[3] Bell sold WME to Melbourne IT for $39 million in 2017, but he stayed on to expand the company internationally.^[7] Outside of WME, Bell has founded or co-founded over 12 companies, including Appscore, Removify, Lisnic, Primal, and First Page Digital.^[8][9]

In 2019, Bell co-founded Removify with Andrew Whitford, a reputation management company^[10] that removes unwanted and fake reviews published on websites.^[11]

Other companies founded by Bell include Outsourcey, USEO, SEO Agency, and Results First.^[12] He is also an investor in Tribe, Frase.io, Disputify, Vervoe, Cannabis, Ideapod, Lead Chat and Greenfields.^[8]

In 2022, Bell appeared as a boardroom advisor for the sixth season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia.^[13][14]

In 2024, Bell launched Outsourcey,^[15] a business process outsourcing company in the Philippines, focusing on cost savings in marketing and other business functions.^[16]

In 2024, Bell joined the new lineup of judges on Shark Tank Australia where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to secure investment and mentorship. The judging panel also includes Maxine Horne, Davie Fogarty, Jane Lu, and Robert Herjavec. ^[17]The 2024 season is produced by Sony Pictures Television’s Curio Pictures for Network 10.^[18]

Personal wealth

Bell's net worth was estimated to be $274 million, according to the Financial Review 2020 Rich List.^[1]

Year	Financial Review Rich List
	Rank	Net worth
2016[19]		$68 million^[note a]
2017[20]		$114 million ^[note a]
2018[21]		$170 million ^[note a]
2019[22]		$217 million ^[note a]
2020[1]		$274 million ^[note a]

References

1. "Young Rich". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
2. Magazine, Anthill (17 December 2015). "Australia's first start-up school targets school leavers as an alternative to university and gap year". Anthill Online. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
3. Smith, Fiona (23 March 2016). "How WME's Nick Bell perfected the art of the cold call". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
4. "HSC results 2015: How 'terrible' result didn't stop businessman hitting heights". The Daily Telegraph.
5. Carey, Alexis (30 October 2018). "How Melbourne man Nick Bell went from flat broke to rich-lister in just 10 years". News.com.au.
6. Jacobs, Daniel (23 November 2015). "When there's a will there's a way: founder of WME, Australia's largest digital marketing agency rises from failure to $45 million". Dynamic Business.
7. Simmons, David (4 July 2019). "Removify was Nick Bell's startup itch that needed to be scratched". Business News Australia.
8. "Serial entrepreneur, BRW Young Rich Lister and successful investor" (PDF). ThePRHub.
9. D'Mello, Christine (7 November 2017). "How Alex Louey and Nick Bell turned a $3000 app start-up into $25 million business Appscore". The Sydney Morning Herald.
10. Powell, Dominic (1 July 2019). "'They can't fight back': Businesses can now get fake reviews removed through new Removify platform". Smart Company.
11. Hendy, Nina (1 July 2019). "Negative review? Now you can just delete it". The Sydney Morning Herald.
12. O'Brien, Jennifer (2 May 2017). "Aussie entrepreneur Nick Bell sells WME Group to Melbourne IT". CMO.
13. Douglas, Nicole. "Who is Nick Bell, Lord Alan Sugar's newest Advisor on Celebrity Apprentice Australia?". 9 Now. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
14. Connery, Tess (20 May 2022). ""What you see is what you get": Nick Bell on stepping into Celebrity Apprentice". mediaweek. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
15. "Bell Launches Outsourcey Remote Staffing Agency / News". Retrieved 18 April 2024.
16. Content, Sponsored (26 March 2024). "Maximise Your Savings on Marketing Costs with Effective Outsourcing through Outsourcey". Fast Company. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
17. Laidlaw, Kyle (16 August 2024). "Entrepreneurs Maxine Horne and Nick Bell Join New Season of Shark Tank Australia". TV Blackbox.
18. "Meet Australia's new Shark Tank judges for 2024". Forbes Australia. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
19. "BRW Young Rich 2016". Australian Financial Review. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
20. "Financial Review Young Rich 2017". Australian Financial Review. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
21. "2018 AFR Young Rich List: Atlassian co-founders Australia's richest young entrepreneurs". Australian Financial Review. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
22. "Young Rich List 2019: Total wealth almost doubles to $41.2b". Australian Financial Review. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2020.