Hismile Teeth Co-founders and directors Alex Tomic and Nik Mirkovic have more than five billion reasons to smile. That’s the conservative value of their oral care business … not that they are looking to sell any time soon.

Alex, 29 and Nik, 28, have transformed a teenage friendship (both their parents worked at Village Roadshow Theme Parks) into a burgeoning online business worth somewhere between $5b and $10b.

With the support of introductions from Austrade, Hismile products are also on the shelves of some of the biggest international retail markets such as Walmart in the US, Harrods in the UK and Galeries Lafayette in France.

“We had a lot of friends who had whitened their teeth but had never followed up and continued. It was also painful and caused them sensitivity,” Tomic said.

“Being young and naïve, we thought ‘there had to be a better way to do this’.

“We said ‘let’s look at this and give this a good crack’ and we got in touch with people who had been researching this for a long time. People were just loving the idea.”

Hismile Co-founder Alex Tomic

Tomic said the vision of the company, which started in 2014, wasn’t just about teeth whitening but for greater oral care overall with Hismile launching an innovative range of products including a fluoride-plus formula and those which taste of watermelon, red velvet and peach iced tea.

When they launched their first Teeth Whitening Kit, Hismile sent it to hundreds of people around the world from beauty bloggers, whitening enthusiasts and influencers.

According to Tomic, Kim Kardashian is a “massive advocate for the brand.”

“We work with hundreds and thousands of people who love the products and swear by the products,” he said.

“Every year we are looking to constantly grow. Our next evolution is really about being accessible to everyone around the world.”

Purple teeth whitener

Hismile employs 150 staff in its Gold Coast headquarters which also boasts the Hismile Research Centre – an in-house facility for formulation and product testing.

The team works with leading dentists, product experts and its community to shape the future of teeth whitening.

According to their clinical trial, conducted by a third-party dentist, in a single, ten-minute teeth whitening treatment, 100 per cent achieved whiter teeth, 61.9 per cent achieved three-plus shades whiter; and zero per cent experienced sensitivity.

Hismile toothbrush

Tomic said the Gold Coast enabled companies such as his the space to be innovators and disruptors.

“The Gold Coast is such a unique place. It is a big enough city to compete with the big cities but you don’t have the hustle and bustle of a big city,” Tomic said.

“You’ve got space to create an amazing office. Our headquarters is five minutes from the beach. The talent pool on the Gold Coast is really amazing.

“We’re really proud to be building our empire on the Gold Coast. We really want to cement ourselves on the Gold Coast and showcase what the Gold Coast is really about.”

And his advice to any other disruptors looking to base themselves on the Gold Coast?

“Build your own identity in what you are looking to do. The dividends will pay off,” he said.

“The Gold Coast allows us to run our own race. Big things can be done here.”