Innovation and Entrepreneurship USYD - Who is an entrepreneur? Sharing Personal Learnings - Guest Lecture

Last week I was invited to speak with the next generation of entrepreneurs as part of CEMS - The Global Alliance in Management Education , thank you Corinna Galliano, PhD for allowing me to speak to the ~50 outstanding. Students like Rasmus Paavola and Tanja H. impress me with being bold and asking questions. Thank you for doing that!

Chapter 1: The Early Days and My First Ventures

I’ve been on quite a journey as an entrepreneur, one that’s taken me across different industries and countries. It all started when I was working at Meta, first in Dublin and then in the US. My first real shot at entrepreneurship was with CraftOak.com. It took off fast, and before I knew it, we were serving 1% of the American population. But, as I learned the hard way, early success doesn’t always mean long-term victory. Our growth stalled, and my co-founder and I had different ideas about where to take the business. Ultimately, that led to its downfall. It was a tough pill to swallow, but it was also a wake-up call about the reality of startups.

Chapter 2: The Lessons Failure Taught Me

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that failure is part of the game. When Craftoak.com didn’t pan out the way I hoped, I realized that persistence is more than just a buzzword. It’s about sticking it out when things get tough, adapting when necessary, and not losing sight of the bigger picture. Sure, it’s easy to keep going when everything’s going well, but true persistence shows up when the road gets bumpy. And believe me, it will get bumpy.

Chapter 3: Creativity, Testing, and Just Going for It

One thing I’ve always enjoyed is building and testing new ideas. I guess that comes from my childhood, where I spent a lot of time creating things, often in ways that weren’t exactly conventional. That hands-on experience stuck with me, and it’s been a big part of how I approach business. Today, with all the tools available, there’s no excuse not to test your ideas quickly. Get them out there, see what works, and tweak them as you go. Don’t wait for the perfect moment, because it doesn’t exist. Just start building and learn along the way.

Chapter 4: Why Having a Plan B Can Be a Trap

Here’s something I wish I knew earlier: having a Plan B can sometimes do more harm than good. When I was trying to balance a cushy job at Meta with running a startup, I realized my attention was split, and neither was getting the best of me. It was comfortable, sure, but comfort doesn’t lead to greatness. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “Don’t have a Plan B.” When you’re fully committed to your main goal, without a fallback, you’re forced to give it everything you’ve got. That’s when real progress happens.

Chapter 5: Building Something That Lasts and What’s Next

After my stint at Canva, where I helped bring in some new product growth strategies, I jumped into my next big thing: Subscribed. It’s a platform focused on providing solid, reliable info about SaaS products. We’ve been grinding away, and now we’ve got 50,000 users. Not bad, right? But there’s still a lot to do. My focus now is on keeping that momentum, continuing to add value for our users, and scaling up in a way that’s sustainable. It’s all about adapting, staying relevant, and making sure we’re solving real problems for people.

The Realities of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship isn't a walk in the park—it’s challenging, unpredictable, and often frustrating. But for me, it’s also been the most rewarding path I could take. Every failure, every obstacle, has shaped who I am today and how I approach building something new. The key lessons I've learned are persistence, creativity, and a willingness to jump in with both feet, even when the future is unclear.

I've realized that you can’t half-ass entrepreneurship. You have to be all in, and that means sometimes throwing out the safety net. It’s about learning from every mistake and keeping the focus on what really matters, even when the going gets tough. If you’re thinking about taking this journey, know that it’s not easy, but the personal and professional growth you'll experience is worth every bit of the struggle.