Why I will always be a tech founder first

As an entrepreneur, I’ve had a long and successful career, building startups and companies across multiple sectors - including infrastructure, technology, property and real estate. But at the heart of everything I do, is a passion and love for innovation. That’s why I will always see myself as a tech founder above all else and will continue looking for ways to disrupt within every one of my businesses. 

Entrepreneurship has been my mission. I never wanted to just get a job somewhere and find myself working for some else in twenty years’ time. That wasn’t me. And entrepreneurship drives me in so many different ways, in so many different areas.

Where I see an opportunity to create products and services that people love and find a way to give them amazing experiences, I will always want to get involved and build something to capitalise on it. This is what I saw in 2005 when I started Broadband Solutions and it has stayed with me.

But when that happens, I look to the technology first.

Tech is what turns good business opportunities into life changing business opportunities.

When you look at any company coming up today that has a huge impact on their market, they do it by applying technology. It doesn’t matter if you’re building a business selling shoes, or you’re building a business making notebooks, or you’re trying to make your mark in real estate – it’s the companies who can use technology to streamline their systems and processes and cut out the friction that have the biggest chances of succeeding.

Tech can find new ways to do things, and those new ways can completely change the game. Retail businesses can use technology to run their operations on a scale that would have been out of reach of anyone but the biggest companies in the world, not too long ago. They can use tech to become a direct to consumer company, allowing them to take and own more of their profits than ever, too.

People are out there starting banks – actually starting entirely new banks – just based on the back of technology. They’re running businesses that take less money to start up, less money to run, and are easier to make work in the long term, because they’re putting tech where it needs to be – at the heart of everything they do.

I don’t call myself a tech founder just because I started a tech company.

Sure, Broadband Solutions is absolutely a technology company. And we were one of the earliest tech startups in Australia when we launched in 2005. But that’s not what gives me that title. I’m a tech founder because in every entrepreneurial pursuit, I look for the tech, I build the tech into the DNA of my company, and I try to think on the cutting edge.

I have never found myself more excited about a company than when I’ve seen tech applied in ways that are unusual, that are disruptive, and that are designed to give the end customers a better experience across the board.

I’m still growing Broadband Solutions. I’m still looking at new ways to pursue my energy and love for building companies. And I can absolutely guarantee that tech will always be the point of difference and the main driver of the opportunities I take on.

I can’t tell you where my passion will lead me – I don’t hold it back, and when something excites and interests me I always explore it – but I know that I’ll be a tech founder whether I’m investing my time in software or in anything else. That’s who I am.

ENDS

This article first appeared on my blog at sambashiry.com.au

Please connect with me if you're interested in entrepreneurship and tech startups. I have also recently launched my podcast, From Thousands to Millions, so please take a listen here and let me know what you think.