Executive Stories

This week on Executive Stories, I chat with Remy Brassac, the tongue and cheek title of “Head Honcho” at Rumble Creative & Media. Remy’s:

• had to make big decisions as a business owner which saw his previous fly to new heights when facing a downward spiral during the GFC;
• decision to sell his previous business to multi-national mega firm Clemenger after becoming a dominant force in Brisbane;
• realisation after a few years that his passion lay in running his own business and not for someone else – from which grew Rumble; and
• Importantly, views on family and working with the right people.

Jason is a young entrepreneur who is using his passion and determination to continue to grow his successful businesses. Jason co-founded Just Digitial People 2013 as he saw a gap in the market with online recruitment. His role within JDP as Co founder, is to lead the business forward, keep the energy high, collaborate with recruiters, build meaningful relationships with clients, and have fun! Jason has a large social media following which he provides us with some valuable lessons about. Jason opens up about the important of people’s personal brands vs the business brand and that if you are influential in the social media space, you need to be aware of how your actions directly affect your business. Jason also speaks to us about how his managerial style has changed as he has learnt and grown with his business. It is an honest and passionate conversation – I hope you enjoy!

Cameron is an energetic leader who enjoys corporate strategy and finding ways to grow. He is passionate about people and thrives off what teams can achieve when they work and develop together. Cameron has been on an interesting journey to his role as COO of Trademark Vision. Setting out to be an engineer then moving into aviation, Cameron soon found that his strengths and passions lay elsewhere. In this episode we discuss:

• Resilience that was built in the military;
• Working in a law firm in London without a law degree;
• How keeping an open mind can turn a competitor into an ally; and
• The journey of Trademark Vision.

Cameron values trust and places high importance on fun environments. His story is inspiring – I hope you enjoy it!

Chris Adams is the man that has done it all. From humble beginnings growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania, Chris has gone on to work with the likes of entertainment and media industry pioneers – Steven Spielberg, Al Gore and Jeff Scholl of Ebay to name a few.

Listen to Chris as he recounts his experience at Facebook in its infancy – and what it’s like to work with Mark Zuckerberg (and stand next to him at a water bubbler). He also talks through working in industries that were completely new to him, and trusting your gut.

We discuss:

• How to be both creative and commercially minded
• Learning to recognise burnout signs and juggling 4 balls instead of 15
• Different ways of working – why office 9-to-5 isn’t for everyone
• How to identify a problem, and create an outcome that makes a difference.

Jock Fairweather is no run of the mill guy. Having grown up in PNG, excelling in his studies at the London College of Fashion, working as a shoe designer in Geneva and then founding Little Tokyo Two in Brisbane – it’s clear that whatever Jock puts his mind to, he will succeed at.

That’s not to say it’s all been smooth sailing. Trying to forge his shoe designs as a luxury brand in Europe nearly mentally broke him, and now he wants to share his experiences to ensure startups at LT2 don’t have to go through the same thing. This episode is a must-listen for those who want to be inspired by Jock’s tenacity and ability when knocked down to stand back up taller than before.

Jock is a self-confessed ‘take him or leave him’ type of guy so he doesn’t hold back on anything in the interview, which makes for a gripping Executive Story.

We discuss:

• The importance of being a big thinker and a creative thinker;
• The belief that whatever you can envision, you can become;
• Working hard and fast at your passion;
• Picking yourself back up at your lowest point; and
• Being ruthless with your time and finding happiness in discipline.

Sharon is a lawyer turned deal maker and now MD of InterFinancial. Whereas some of my guests are only too willing to jump down the microphone with their story, Sharon was a reluctant guest at first.  As we discover, the reason for this is that Sharon is a very humble person looking to sing other’s praises before her own. Sharon has had a wonderful journey finding her niche in mid market M&A, private equity investment and funds management. Sharon provides us with a genuine insight into career paths and how learning your strengths and following a career that plays to those strengths can be extremely rewarding and beneficial.

In this episode we discuss:

• Sharon’s life as a single mum and lawyer at the age of 24;
• Her career progression and transition; and
• Her thoughts on social enterprises and her experience wither Foresters Community Finance.

InterFinancial has become a hugely successful company not just in its market and for its size, and seems very comfortable in its own skin with Sharon at the helm. Thank you Sharon for taking the plunge and coming on Executive Stories and giving us all a glimpse into the woman behind the MD of InterFinancial.

When I pitched Dominic for this interview he knew little about me or what I would publish from our interview.  Most guests are a little self conscious about how they may present when played back.  Not Dominic.  He is a savvy operator who believes that if you are open and honest and only talk to topics you know about there is nothing to fear!  Dominic seems to have it all, being a young dad and capable software engineer who possesses a rare technological aptitude for a highly commercial business executive.

Dominic launched Tow.com.au in 2014 in Eagle Farm, pitching it as "The Uber for Tow Trucks". In its first year of trading, the business finished with seven figure revenue with that continuing to grow. Tow.com.au is now operating nationally, having grown from four to 34 staff in less than 18 months. Setting this evident success aside, Dominic also embraces leadership with open arms and has openness with his employees which is indicative of his generation.   You’ll have to listen to learn how old Dominic is -  suffice to say he certainly has a “young guy charm”!

Before starting Tow.com.au Dom knew nothing about towing. What he did know was that technology is shaking the foundations of every industry. In this episode we delve into:

1. Growing a successful business from a young age;
2. Managing people; and
3. Tech and startup companies

Dominic is passionate about technology, emerging markets, innovation, disruption, startups and entrepreneurship. This is evident not only in his success so far but that the passion he speaks with. I hope you can feel it too!

Anna is a vivacious, fun and the perfect guest to kick off Executive Stories for 2018. She has experience in events, finance, project management and startups and has completed her Masters in Entrepreneurship through the University of Otago where she wrote her thesis all about crowdfunding and her startup, PledgeMe

Her official title is PledgeMe's 'chief bubble blower.' Anna is clever and energetic. She knows what’s going on in the world and business and keeps her finger on the pulse in the face of changing technology. In this interview we decided to have a little bit of fun chatting about Anna’s biggest f*ck ups. Yes, there’s some expletives that could be beeped out but I decided to run with it in its raw form – maybe skip this episode if this might not be your thing.  But do tune in if you want front row seats as we discuss some of Anna’s biggest mistakes, what she learnt from them and how we can learn from our mistakes as well. We also delve into the world of crowd-sourced fund raising and its benefits.

There is certainly a little tongue and cheek to Anna’s personality but when we delve a little deeper into the conversation you see she is a super smart business woman who takes a very honest and open approach to life and business - and was willing to share her f*ck ups for us all to learn from. I hope you like it!

Jade Collins is on a mission – to successfully run a profit making business that aligns with a social cause. Her website, Femeconomy, achieves this and more. As Co-Founder and Director Jade encourages women to use the power of their purse to support brands with women in leadership, in order to create gender equality.

Jade recounts what it’s like to have informed consumers, re-establish your identity outside a corporate environment, and be deeply personally invested in your job. For Jade, this episode is all about that customer focused conversation and trying to understand what people’s stories are – something which closely aligns with Executive Stories at its core.

We discuss:

• The criteria needed to be listed on Femeconomy and the types of businesses already on the site;
• The importance of consumer activism and where it fits in the startup space;
• Driving a small business – choosing between growth and profit;
• Changing Femeconomy’s business model; and
• What it’s like to align your brand with your identity and personal values.

For a lot of CEOs, the financials of their company is what drives them. For Ben Korst, CEO of Montserrat Day Hospitals, his approach is different. Ben recounts what it takes (with no prior experience) to step into an industry of highly skilled medical professionals, grow a relationship with them, and do so with his signature larrikin humour. Ben takes it all in his stride, providing insight to adapting to different management styles, limitations of the job, and ensuring decisions are right 100% of the time for the benefit of patients – without being serious 100% of the time!

We discuss:

• The importance of listening to everyone’s point of view for the best possible outcome;
• Juggling responsibility of seven day hospitals across Australia and rapid expansion;
• Knowing when to take a break; and
• Not taking life too seriously.