On

Aussie Entrepreneur Campbell Walshe on How to Scale a Business from Anywhere in the World!

Welcome back to another episode of the "Perfect Pitch Show" where Brandon Burns, Head of Community - Runway Virtual, interviews small business founders / entrepreneurs about the secret sauce to their successful start-up journey.

On this episode, we are excited to bring back a beloved guest, Campbell Walshe. Campbell has over 10 years of experience as an Entrepreneur, having founded multiple start-up businesses. He's proudest achievement to date is his involvement in CNSDose, a health tech start-up that relies on DNA predictors to curate the appropriate anti-depressive medications for individuals suffering with depression. He is one of Australia's most talented start-up mentors, and his most recent endeavour has seen him take on the position of director at Pitchblak. In this role, he utilises his expertise to consult early-stage Entrepreneurs and support them on their journey from turning an intangible idea into a scalable business model.

The Ideal Candidate

Campbell developed Pitchblak as a service that guides founders on the process of raising capital, tips on how to go about pitching to investors, and the research behind creating an awesome brand.

Campbell describes the ideal candidate as an individual who is likely currently working a full-time job. They may have a great idea but are not sure where to begin or how to start raising capital for their business venture. Campbell would like to reach out to the founders who have an eagerness to learn, willingness to work hard, and able to take on some risk to see through their idea. Although he prefaces that Pitchblak helps to develop these invaluable traits, individuals who enter the program with a close-minded attitude are significantly less likely to achieve their goals.

Campbell is not necessarily concerned with accruing a database with hundreds of founders per year. Instead, he would rather focus on working with exceptional founders to produce great start-ups. Campbell specifies that he welcomes big ideas from any industry, ranging from healthcare to fashion. It is also worth noting that regardless of the stage that a founder may currently be in, Pitchblak can support them in how to move onto the next step.

Things to Avoid as an Entrepreneur

Campbell paints a picture of himself as a young and inexperienced entrepreneur. He admits that his biggest mistakes sprung from his tendencies to make assumptions. Often, he would come to conclusions without validating them and wrongly believe that these were correct. Campbell was enlightened to a different tactic when he began working with founders from a scientific background. Their approach was clinical, where they continuously developed methodologies to test and validify their hypotheses. Campbell began to find success as an entrepreneur once he started to incorporate this methodology directly to his other start-ups. He advises that not asking questions, and more specifically not asking the right questions to validate each assumption is an easy way to cripple your business's growth towards success.

Many prospective entrepreneurs are hesitant to pursue their ideas because may feel overwhelmed with their lack of knowledge. Campbell reassures that having this attitude can work to their advantage, as opposed to stepping into the field with the mindset of believing they know everything.

The Importance of Research

It is critically important to acquire as much information about your potential customers as possible. Campbell suggests that directly speaking with people to gauge their behaviour and pain points is a great place to start. Being open to...