Ben Pullen: Building Businesses That Breathe Humanity into Growth

Ben Pullen, FOUNDER and CEO, Outposter

From Mango Crates to Market Leadership, Ben Pullen’s journey began in Logan, a working-class pocket stretched between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. On asking for pocket money, his father, a fruit market worker, instilled in him a deeper philosophy about money that shaped his life thereafter — “there’s opportunity out for you, you just to have to go and get it. Earn it, don’t wait for it,” Ben reflects.

Guided by this simple yet profound ideology, Ben was handed crates of mangoes — but not for free. He had to pay his father for the mangoes before setting out to sell them. Whatever he earned, he owned completely.

At just ten, this venture taught him the first lesson in entrepreneurship. “I recruited other neighborhood kids to sell on nearby streets,” Ben recalls. “That was my first lesson in entrepreneurship: see opportunity, build a system, and scale it.”

That early practice laid the foundation for everything that followed. The businesses he went on to launch and successfully exit— altogether worth over $100 million AUD—proved that the same principles held true at scale. For Ben, the lesson has remained constant: “Back yourself, work hard, and bring others with you on the journey.”

Breaking the Outsourcing Mold

When he launched Outposter, Ben saw an industry weighed down by operational hurdles and a potential of mistrust between clients and staff. He identified the friction and recalibrated the system, long waiting to be revamped.

“Clients wanted speed and trust, and staff wanted stability and respect. Outsourcing at the time was clunky and transactional,” he says.

So, he flipped the script: no recruitment fees, no deposits, no lock-in contracts. The results spoke for themselves. Clients gained transparency; staff gained security and careers.

Thus, Outposter’s growth into four countries was not driven by gimmicks—it was anchored in one belief: outsourcing could be better for everyone.

And, Outposter was built on removing barriers and creating trust.

Weathering Storms and Pivoting Fast

Like every entrepreneurial journey, Ben’s path has been marked by obstacles. Growth brought speed, but there were also bumps in the road that tested his resolve. Partners who changed terms mid-agreement and clients who behaved unethically stalled progress. Yet, the hardest part wasn’t walking away- it was recovering from the aftermath.

“Those moments test you,” he says. “But entrepreneurship is about adaptation. You take the hit, adjust quickly, and keep going.”

One of the boldest pivots came during the pandemic. As the world scrambled to adapt, Ben chose to build a business that leaned into change. It was a risk, but it turned out to be one of Outposter’s best decisions. Instead of being confined to Manila, now these white-collar workers could work from any province, channeling new income into regions long overlooked by the Philippines’ traditionally Manila-centric outsourcing industry. The shift also improved the environment by reducing commutes, relieved employee stress by keeping them closer to family, and helped strengthen local economies. Thus, staff were happier, client outcomes improved, and the model proved more sustainable.

Setbacks, for him, are lessons disguised as obstacles—not endpoints.

A Portfolio with a Single Thread

At first glance, Ben’s portfolio appears to be eclectic, divulging into different paths. From leading Outposter, a global outsourcing agency, and Zigzag Offshoring, a large-scale BPO supporting enterprise clients worldwide, to steering DR Manufacturing in Brisbane—owner and supplier of several clothing brands across Australia and beyond—and launching Lula Rum, a Pacific white rum now stocked in BWS, Dan Murphy’s, and over 300 venues nationally and internationally, Ben’s pursuits seem scattered on paper.

But upon closer examination, a common thread emerges—one that binds him to a single purpose: building ventures that uplift people and create lasting value.

“Outposter is about creating stable careers with growth. Lula Rum is about celebrating culture and connection. And now I am launching Smarta, a platform for digital workers and white-collar professionals to rapidly reskill, upskill, and future-proof their careers,” he explains.

With every project, Ben followed energy and excitement—the forces that fueled his consistency and eased long-term efforts. Balancing diverse ventures relies on timing, trust, and strong leaders to carry the vision forward.

“I choose projects that excite me because that energy makes the tough days so much easier,” Ben asserts.

Leadership, Redefined

For Ben, leadership has never been about titles. His authority is grounded in humility and shared responsibility. “Everyone is equally important; we just play different roles,” he says.

A cornerstone of his philosophy is Kapwa—the Filipino value of shared identity. Their ideas resonated with him so deeply that he named the company’s online platform ‘KapOne’ after it. “For us, it is more than technology. It is a philosophy. When people feel genuinely connected, they thrive,” Ben speaks with conviction.

Outposter’s ethos is captured in two words: people-powered. Here, staff aren’t disposable; they’re integral—the professionals with a career and a voice. Clients aren’t trapped by lock-ins. Performance stems from trust and transparency.

The journey of their COO, Bel Soria, embodies the quiet power of this growth culture. She began as a program manager and grew into her executive role through consistency, results, and respect earned across the organization. “Her story shows what is possible when you give people the platform to grow,” Ben says.

The accolades further reflect this culture. Outposter has been named one of the Best Workplaces for IT-BPM in the Philippines and secured a 100 percent Great Place to Work rating, likely the largest company in the country ever to do so. For Ben, these aren’t trophies. They are proof that culture is lived, not branded.

Scaling Impact Beyond Borders

The future, as envisioned by Ben, is looking bright in scaling impact as much as scaling revenue. That’s expansion, with a difference. Outposter is aggressively expanding in North America, aiming to lift US clients to 40 percent of its business.

But for Ben, the bigger ambition lies in exporting culture.

“Our fully remote model reduces stress, cuts traffic, lowers pollution, and keeps families closer together,” he says. At the same pace, Lula Rum celebrates heritage, while the Singapore business academy promises to equip professionals with future-proof skills.

“Business success and human success should always go together.”

A Philosophy for Endurance

When asked about what it takes to build not just a company, but a portfolio, that endures, Ben’s answer is invaluable, yet measured:

“Business is built the same way as fitness or anything worthwhile in life—through consistency. Day after day, step after step, you keep moving forward.”

Once a business is stable, he urges founders to identify the three key metrics that matter most. Track them daily, obsess over them, and let them guide our decisions. In time, the rest will align and advance naturally.

But he is quick to add that numbers alone cannot carry a business. “IQ gets the job done, but EQ builds the culture. Hire people who bring empathy, connection, and humility. Profit keeps the lights on, but values and relationships are what make a business endure.”

The Human Core of Enterprise

From carrying mango crates in Logan to managing a workforce of 1000 across ventures, Ben Pullen’s journey circles back to a singular vision: Improve lives, uplift communities.

His ventures may stretch across outsourcing, manufacturing, education, and rum, yet together they resonate with one principle—that entrepreneurship is less about building businesses and more about scaling impact, building trust, and nurturing deep human connections that transform lives meaningfully, with depth and sustainability.For global leaders searching for growth with meaning, his story offers a powerful reminder: the companies that last are those that breathe humanity into every metric.