Ruslan Kogan has launched his second foray into the mobile market. Photo: Luis Ascui
At 24 he took on Samsung and LG, selling TV sets from the same Chinese factories at a fraction of the price of the big brands.
Three years later he rattled retail giant Gerry Harvey, who called him a "con" for his claims.
Now, at 32, Ruslan Kogan is going head to head with Coles and Woolworths, promising his new online grocery website will halve people's weekly grocery bills.
Cutting the middle man has always been Kogan's strategy to keep prices down, together with keeping his fixed costs low by only selling online.
He is certain the strategy will work for Kogan Pantry, launched on Friday, which carries 600 supermarket items, including top brands. The company said they would be sold at lower prices because it had secured direct deals with manufacturers.
"For far too long Australia has had to put up with a supermarket duopoly," said David Shafer, Kogan's business partner and executive director.
Despite a reported annual turnover of about $310 million - the private company does not divulge financials, which was the target of some of Harvey's criticism - Kogan still reigns from his L-shaped desk in a room shared with Shafer in jeans, sneakers and a Kogan T-shirt, surrounded by framed copies of his many media appearances.
The son of Belarussian migrants works virtually around the clock in his ever-expanding South Melbourne headquarters, checking site statistics constantly to monitor visits and sales to Kogan.com and its many offshoots, and adjusting tactics accordingly.
A digital native, he has no assistant - the last one left and he couldn't see the point of a replacement - preferring to screen his own calls, emails and calendar appointments. His mother still rings him during the day to remind him to eat.
The tech-savvy retailer now leads multiple online businesses, including selling camping gear, sporting goods, personal care and homeware through new private brands Fortis, Komodo, Estelle and Ovela.
He owns a stake in public relations company, Sling and Stone, previously Click PR, and in online furniture retailer Milan Direct.
His personal fortune has grown in line with the business and Australians' appetite for online deals. He is reported to be worth $349 million, up from $315 million in 2013, ranking sixth in last year's BRW Young Rich List. Not bad considering his parents arrived with just $90. His main website, Kogan.com, rates in the Nielsen top ranking of online Australian retail websites with more than a million visitors a month.
But for all the hype the entrepreneur has become known for - he has even managed several awkward appearances on the ABC's Q&A program - retail analysts are cautious.
Steven Noble, senior analyst at Telsyte, said it would take a long time for anyone to challenge Australia's supermarket duopoly.
"Kogan may well claim that. But there are a number of businesses having a go at the online grocery space, including the Catch Group's GroceryRun," Noble said.
"Both have the ability to compete with online offerings from Coles and Woolworths and I'd expect Coles and Woolworths will be noticing them, but that's a long way from saying they'll shake up the duopoly. It will take decades. Even Aldi and IGA have decades of business ahead of them to do that."
Kogan Pantry's biggest challenges would be maintaining stock levels of everyday grocery items - even if only non-perishable - and adjusting the business model to deliver them quickly, Noble said.
"You want to know everything you're looking for is going to be in store at the same time - that's the advantage of Coles and Woolworths. If you're looking at food, soap powder or dental floss, you can be guaranteed it will be in store when you want it.
"People might be willing to wait two weeks for a high-end TV with a massive discount, but not for groceries."
For his part, Kogan has already moved on. Caught off-guard on the phone on Friday morning, he appeared to see the launch of the new site as just an every-day occurrence.
"Big news today, Ruslan?" we asked.
"What's happening?" came the reply, before he said "Oh, that? Yeah, yeah, I've got lots of stuff going on. Kogan Pantry is massive, but there's other massive stuff going on."
Asked if he wanted to become king of Australian retail, a usually boisterous Kogan replied "king is a title that's given to you" before excusing himself and turning his attention to yet another "massive" project.
Update: Corrected to reflect part share in public relations company.
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