On this episode, I am joined by Mark Gustowski. Mark is the CEO at QUT Creative Enterprise Australia. Based in Brisbane, CEA supports startup founders in the creative tech verticals.
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I am sure you brush your teeth every morning and every night. I bet you don’t even think about it. You certainly don’t need to set a New Years resolution to brush your teeth. It’s automatic. You just do it. According to a Duke University study, 45% of our daily behaviours are automatic habits performed in the same location. If we want to improve the success rate of our goals, then we need to convert them into daily habits.
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When was the last time you really felt uninterrupted at work? We live in an environment of constant distraction - from our devices, technology and the people we work with. Our technology distracts us with notifications, alarms, alerts and a multitude of other dopamine inducing techniques. When the technology isn’t distracting us, then it’s our colleagues with interruptions, videoconferences, and meetings. This article shows you how to take control.
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Sleep really is the super drug. If you are a founder or an executive improving your sleep is one of the biggest impact items you can do to improve your physical and mental health and performance. This TED talk by Matt Walker is a must see.
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On this show I am joined by Liz Jackson. On this episode Liz discusses the future of education, and the journey she has been on to bring the teaching of entrepreneurial skills and mindset to kids in schools. She discusses the importance of helping kids to think for themselves, find their passion, be resilient and develop problem solving skills.
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As a founder and former VC, I am often asked my views on the best way to raise capital. Raising capital is time-consuming and distracting. The less time you spend raising money, the more you can spend on the main event, which is leading and running your startup. This is a short guide in capital raising.
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When I ask founders why startups fail, some show a degree of understanding, but many more have never even given it a thought. One of the inspiring things about founders is their drive and passion, but idealism can often blind them to the common causes of failure.
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On this episode I am joined by Chris Wilson. Chris currently leads IBM's digital strategy and interactive design practice across Australia and New Zealand. In this role, he leads an amazing team of IBM strategists, technologists and business designers helping shape the future for their clients and the sectors they represent.
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Startups seem to be the new black - approximately three are founded every minute. More than $50b in venture funding is invested every year. 9 out of 10 will fail within three years of being established. Not great odds. So why do founders keep at it? There is no magic formula for startup success; however, I will try and give you three things that might tip the scales of success in your favour.
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As an investor in startups, I see well over 100 formal startup pitches every year – and probably even more “elevator” pitches. There are many factors that determine if I invest in a company, but when evaluating the “idea”, I test for four key components: desirability, viability, feasibility and adaptability.
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Failure. Just the word itself can cause an entrepreneur to break out into a cold sweat. If I asked you to think about your worst failure, what would come to mind? More importantly, how does thinking about that failure make you feel? Does it make you feel embarrassed? Guilty? Angry? Rejected? All of the above? Most entrepreneurs and small business owners have a visceral reaction to failure. Its something we don’t like experiencing, and it’s certainly something we don’t like talking about.
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Approximately 3 startups are founded every minute - “startup” is definitely the new black. The barriers to entry are low - pretty much anyone with a laptop and an idea can start a business. This democratisation of entrepreneurship has produced some amazing results - everything from ride sharing, food delivery to electric cars - and our society and our economy are better for it. Yet, increasingly we are seeing a darker side - with entrepreneurs being unprepared for the physical, mental and emotional stresses of putting it all on the line for their business.
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Over the past 20 years I have founded and funded numerous technology startups. During that time I have seen a clear pattern emerging: startup failure has become an accepted industry norm, and it has an impact that reaches far beyond financial loss to investors. Having experienced my own journey of failure as a founder more than once, I have felt the very real, deep, personal impact of that failure on me, my family and my colleagues.
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