Pourya Balali

Chief Executive Officer @ Cheapest Liquor

About

I’m Pourya, a driven serial entrepreneur passionate about building businesses, solving problems, and leaving a lasting legacy. Over the past decade, I’ve founded and grown companies across construction, e-commerce, and retail, each one teaching me lessons in resilience, leadership, and innovation. Business 1: Hive Waterproofing, My first real business and now Melbourne’s leading waterproofing crew. By age 20, we were trusted on some of the city’s most high-end projects. Business 2: Co-founded with a close friend, RainCo began as more than a brand; it was a mission to redefine tapware. Today, it feels like home, a company built on design, quality, and a loyal community. Business 3: Cheapest Liquor, an online-only liquor store built on one simple idea: take on one of the toughest, most protected industries in Australia. I searched for the hardest markets to break into, saw liquor at the top, and said, “Challenge accepted.” Since launch, the business has grown rapidly year after year, securing strong traction, a loyal customer base, and even attracting seven-figure backing to scale the operation further. Business 4: Yet to be written. Failure has been my greatest teacher. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve stumbled, but every setback sharpened my humility and drive. To me, humility is knowing you’re meant for greatness while still showing up every day to earn it. Success is built in the quiet: through discipline, consistency, and the belief to keep going even when no one’s watching.

Country

Australia

City

Melbourne

Industry

Wine & Spirits

Skill

Experience

Chief Executive Officer

Cheapest Liquor

2023-10 - Present · 3 yrs

I lead Cheapest Liquor, one of Australia’s fastest-growing online liquor companies, with a simple mission: redefine how Australians buy and receive alcohol. I built the business from scratch into a national e-commerce operation with thousands of products, a fast-growing customer base, and a model designed to scale aggressively. My role spans strategy, brand, logistics, tech, partnerships, and growth — but the real job is shaping the future of the company. I drive the vision, build the systems, recruit the people, negotiate the deals, and engineer the momentum behind our expansion. I oversee everything from our delivery infrastructure and supplier relationships to our marketing, membership program, and product ecosystem. I’m responsible for turning Cheapest Liquor into the fastest, smartest, and most customer-centric liquor retailer in the country. That includes leading a high-performance team, building scalable technology with developers, refining the customer experience, and opening new opportunities for national expansion — including franchising, logistics innovation, and new revenue streams. Above all, my job is simple: grow the company, protect the mission, and turn Cheapest Liquor into one of Australia’s next major e-commerce success stories.

Co-Founder and Director

RainCo Tapware

2023-7 - Present · 3 yrs 3 mos

Australia

I co-founded RainCo to do one thing: build a modern, eco-focused tapware brand that challenges the outdated players in the market. I’m not involved in the day-to-day operations — my role is to lead the company’s direction, define the long-term vision, and make the strategic decisions that shape its future. I guide RainCo at the highest level: market positioning, product strategy, major partnerships, and the structural decisions that determine how the company grows. I focus on big-picture moves — expanding into new categories, implementing processes, improving margins, and ensuring every decision aligns with RainCo’s mission to bring design-led, timeless tapware to the Australian market. I act as the strategic engine of the company, stepping in only for high-impact decisions that drive growth, unlock new opportunities, or shift the trajectory of the business. While the operational team runs the day-to-day, I’m responsible for direction, clarity, and the bold ideas that move RainCo forward. In short: I’m the one making sure RainCo doesn’t just keep running — it keeps evolving.