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A childhood of sun and sea

Growing up in Israel in the 1970s, Gabby’s early years were filled with energy and adventure. His days revolved around soccer matches, cycling with friends and soaking up the Mediterranean just two blocks from home.

‘There were no smartphones back then,’ Gabby says. ‘When you left the house in the morning, you might not have seen your parents until dinner.’

Life in Nahariya was close-knit and communal. Gabby shared a bedroom with his brother, Hezi, until he turned 16.

‘It was a simple life, but an incredible one,’ he reflects. ‘Plenty of sunshine, the sea always nearby – and constant action.’

Yet even amid the fun and freedom, Gabby’s family knew bigger opportunities – and perhaps a different kind of future – were waiting elsewhere.

‘It was a wonderful place to grow up,’ Gabby says. ‘But my parents always dreamed of what life could look like beyond our shores.’

Making Melbourne home

Gabby and his family arrived in Melbourne when he was 16, chasing a better life. But the transition wasn’t easy.

With limited English, he was thrust into Year 11 at Mount Scopus.

‘People thought I was rude or arrogant because I didn’t say please or thank you,’ he reflects with a smile.

It wasn’t just language that needed decoding – it was life itself. But one thing remained consistent: Gabby’s entrepreneurial spirit, strongly supported by his family.

‘I grew up in a very entrepreneurial home,’ he says. ‘My dad was always a trader of sorts – whether it be through the electronics store he ran or the second-hand cars he refurbished and sold.

‘So, at our dinner table, we always talked about how to make money, even more than we talked about soccer.’

Which, for a soccer fanatic like Gabby, is certainly saying something.

A different kind of university

By 18, Gabby had secured his licence and a Holden Gemini. Which meant most weekends started with a night out with friends and ended at the Sunday markets by 5 am with his brother and business partner, Hezi (even though Hezi was only 12 at the time!).

‘I used to buy fashion garments from a factory in Oakleigh and sell them at the markets,’ he says. ‘The markets were part of my education. They taught me a lot about selling.

‘When I think back to that 18-year-old kid – yelling in my thick accent to draw people to our stall – it still makes me laugh.’

Gabby then refined these skills in his father’s electronics store throughout his 20s, which he describes as ‘the best university experience there is’.

‘I learned to market, sell, deal with suppliers, customers, workers, HR issues, etc. It couldn’t have prepared me better for a career in retail.’

So, when Gabby and Hezi got a glimpse of eBay for the first time at age 32, they saw an opportunity.

 

 

Catch of Eskdale Road

Launched in a suburban garage on Eskdale Road (rented from none other than Gary Peer), Catch of the Day began with no vision of ‘startup success’. It was merely Gabby and Hezi’s attempt to give their version of eBay a go. And, to be frank, a good way to afford rent and support their families.

But timing, it turns out, was everything.

‘Online shopping was still new. Few people were buying, but even fewer were selling,’ Gabby says. ‘We weren’t trying to be pioneers. We were just trying to survive.’

Then suddenly, online shopping took off – and so did Catch of the Day. So Gabby and Hezi thought, let’s try this again.

‘Our second vertically launched business was Scoopon, a website that sold discounted restaurant and travel offerings, park entries, and so on,’ Gabby explains.

Then came Grocery Run (‘Would you believe we were selling groceries online before Woolworths and Coles?’ Gabby laughs). Then Mumgo. Then Eat Now – the food delivery startup that took on Menulog and later merged with it.

Before they knew it, Gabby and Hezi became two of Australia’s most prolific entrepreneurs, forever transforming the country’s ecommerce landscape in the process.

 

 

Lessons in the leap

Despite his empire’s scale, Gabby insists he never imagined the heights his ventures would reach. He also doesn’t shy away from the lows.

‘Success stories are well documented. But people don’t know that we failed just as many times as we succeeded,’ he says.

Namely? The many businesses and processes Gabby and Hezi tried to build within the Catch group that didn’t work out.

‘We suffer from FOMO, so whenever an opportunity presented itself, we always wanted to be involved in it,’ Gabby says. ‘But eventually, we realised that there are certain areas of business that just aren’t in our DNA.

‘Sometimes, you need to stop chasing the rabbit and focus on what you’re good at.’

Anchored in community – and Caulfield

Living and working from the centre of the Jewish community has been one of Gabby's favourite parts of the job.

‘I get inspired by everyone,’ he says. ‘My brother and father have been there since the beginning, and I’ve learned so much from them. But I also love walking around Chadstone and supermarkets just to see how items are displayed. The marketing, the pricing and everything in between.

‘Every day, while I’m out and about, I bump into someone I know. I see Phillip Kingston at Coffee Ministry or Dixie all the time!’ Gabby laughs. ‘So yes, I’m a people’s person.’

It’s a sentiment that echoes through his leadership style.

‘Catch wasn’t just a workplace. It was a family. People stayed. We played basketball together, we walked around Caulfield Park together – and we made some good money along the way.’

 

 

Giving back, boldly

Even in semi-retirement, Gabby’s calendar is still full. But not always with business meetings.

‘I do a lot of breakfast catch-ups with young and old entrepreneurs,’ Gabby shares. ‘I even recently met an 11-year-old who sells on marketplaces.

‘I always love to meet with people who reach out to me,’ Gabby says. ‘I do it because I get so much in return. It’s not about being a hero. It’s about creating ripple effects.’

His main piece of advice?

‘Don’t be afraid to ask. Worst case, someone says no. Best case? You end up getting married on a soccer field in front of 23,000 people at Marvel Stadium.’ (True story – search ‘Gabby Leeds wedding’ on YouTube.)

‘In Hebrew, we have a term for that: chutzpah.’

 

 

From Caulfield to the cloud

Today, Gabby’s focused on a new project he recently launched: fingertip.com, a tool to build mini-websites and link-in-bio pages. It’s his first global play, but he’s in no rush.

‘I’m not as involved in the actual business side of things anymore; semi-retirement, remember?’ Gabby says. ‘I just want to enjoy life, travel more, stay healthy and continue helping budding entrepreneurs where I can.’

And, with an office brimming with great people, table tennis tables and golden retriever puppies, we’d say Gabby is well on his way to doing exactly that.

Want to check out Gabby’s latest venture? Visit Fingertip.com to see the future of the Leibovich empire.