The Failure Proof Podcast

Welcome to the first of our quick bytes - short, sharp episodes that profile an interesting startup or founder. On this weeks show I am joined by Scott Ko the founder of ColourSpace - a social enterprise that provides businesses with art as a service. I hope you enjoy this new kind of episode.

On this weeks show 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.

Prior to IBM, Chris was a senior Partner at Deloitte where he built the Fintech practice nationally, focusing on the role the firm could play within the broader, global startup ecosystem. To satiate this ongoing passion, Chris continues to play an active mentoring role for Tyro Fintech Hub, StartupBootcamp and FasterCapital.

This episode is jam packed with great insights. Chris discusses disruption and innovation in financial services, the importance of bringing diversity of ideas to a problem, the cognitive enterprise, corporate venture capital, and exponential technology.

Thank you for joining us on the podcast - where we explore leadership, performance, resilience and the mindset needed to thrive in the modern workplace. This weeks episode is brought to you by The Founder Lab - a free community where entrepreneurs can share experiences and ideas - and work towards being a better founder. Find out more at thefounderlab.com.au

On this weeks show I am joined by Paul Naphtali. Paul is the co-founder of Rampersand VC, an early stage Australian tech fund established in 2013 to help address the funding gap for Australian and New Zealand founders. Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, Paul held senior marketing roles in a number of high growth startups including Jajah, prior to it being acquired by Telefonica.

During this episode Paul discusses his journey from the corporate world, to startups and now to venture capital. He discusses the nuanced role that VC's play in supporting founders, and how he builds trusted relationships with the entrepreneurs that he invests in. We also chat about what strategies entrepreneurs can employ to develop a self care mindset, the role of Directors on startup boards, and the flawed mythology that sometimes surrounds startups. Lastly we discuss the makeup and dynamics that make a great entrepreneur.

On this weeks show I am joined by Professor Michael J Biercuk. Michael is the CEO and Founder of Q-CTRL, a venture capital backed company that provides disciplined control engineering solutions to harness the power of quantum physics for next-generation technologies.

Q-CTRL is built on Michael's research leading the Quantum Control Lab at the University of Sydney, where he is a Professor of Quantum Physics and Quantum Technology. Michael holds both CEO and Professorial positions concurrently and in his academic role is a chief investigator in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems.

As an award-winning experimental quantum physicist, Michael speaks with clarity and authority about science and technology, and is adept at making physics accessible for a lay audience - from what electricity is to how computers work.

Michael is one of the world's leading experts in the new emerging field of quantum technology; the work he is doing promises to be as transformational in the 21st century as harnessing electricity was in the 19th.

This episode is definitely one of my favourites, as myself and Michael talk about everything from the impact that quantum physics will have on our future, the importance of a liberal arts eduction to our mutual love of watches.

Michael is seriously smart, approachable and is his work is making a huge impact on the future. Enjoy the episode.

On this weeks show I am joined by Chris Heuer. Chris is a serial entrepreneur and mentor who focuses on ecosystem thinking and innovation. More recently, he has been developing a new network advisory services agency called Mentor Bureau, which supports startups in finding product/market fit and designing systems for smooth scaling. He also currently serves as one of the Entrepreneurs in Residence for the Collider accelerator program in Brisbane.

Chris has launched or co-founded over a dozen different companies, including several creative agencies, a few software companies, a fashion modelling network and a global non-profit known as Social Media Club which enjoyed popularity around Australia for several years.

In addition to serving as an IBM Futurist focused on the future of work, he has spent the last few years as one of the lead mentors in Google's global Launchpad Accelerator program.

In this episode myself and Chris speak about his views on what makes a sustainable startup, and how chasing the next Unicorn isn't always the right thing to do. We discuss how human capital is often more important than venture capital - and his experiences as the lead mentor at Google.

We also discuss the future of work, including the impact that entrepreneurship has on the economy, and the nomadic nature of the modern workplace.

On this weeks show I am joined by Giam Swiegers. Giam was recently the Global CEO of Aurecon - a global engineering company, with over 7,500 people and a net revenue of over AUD$1B.

Prior to joining Aurecon, Giam was CEO of Deloitte Australia for 12 years, retiring in 2015. During this period the Australian firm grew to a practice of over 650 partners and 6,000 people with a net revenue of over AUD1.0 billion.

Giam is passionate about equality in all forms, and in 2005 he was awarded 'Best CEO for the advancement of women in business' by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. Giam's stewardship of Deloitte Australia led the firm to achieve several industry recognised awards, and in 2013 the AFR named it the accounting firm of the year.

In this interview we discuss Giam's path to leadership from his early days in South Africa, how he navigated the challenges of leading a partnership, and his views on boards and board diversity. We also discuss how he hires leaders - value potential more than experience - and how he brings data and insights into the recruitment process. Lastly we discuss his practical approach to setting vision and how he got through the dark times of leadership.

I have had the privilege of working under Giam's leadership, and consider him the greatest leaders I have ever worked for. I am certain any aspiring leader will take something away from his interview.

On this weeks show I am joined by Taryn Williams. Taryn is one of Australia's most popular female entrepreneurs and digital influencers.

She was awarded the 2017 B&T Women in Media tech leader and recognised for her work with theright.fit winning the 2018 Mumbrella Award for innovation. Taryn has featured in the B&T Hot 30 under 30, SmartCompany 30 under 30, and been a finalist for numerous awards including 2015 Female Entrepreneur Awards. Taryn was also announced in 2018 as one of the global faces of Max Factor.

A former model, Taryn launched Wink Models in 2007 at the age of 21 and it has since cemented its place as one of Australia's leading commercial modelling agencies with turnover in the millions.

In 2016 she launched her second business, theright.fit, a two-sided marketplace connecting brands with creative talent and influencers. Soon after launch she successfully negotiated investment from Airtree Ventures, along with other strategic partners and funds. The platform has over 6,500 talent and has worked with some huge brands.

Taryn is an absolute power house of energy. In this episode we speak about finding mentors and advisors, scaling, how to hire a team, how she introduces gratitude into her business and her leap into the world of tech startups. This is one of my most favourite interviews, and I am sure you will take something away from it.

It's not every day that you get a New York Times #1 best selling author on your podcast, but fortunately today I am joined by my good friend, John King, leadership expert and author of the best selling book Tribal Leadership - which changed the trajectory of thinking about organisational culture.

Internationally recognised as a senior teacher, coach, and program leader, John's executive clientele read like a list of the fortune 500. John is universally acknowledged as a leadership expert and is on the teaching staff of more Universities than I can list in the short time of this podcast introduction.

This episode is focused exclusively on John's thoughts on leadership. We discuss the five stages of leadership maturity - and the values and makeup of a great leaders. We also chat about how organisations and individuals improve their leadership capacity - and the difference between management and leadership.

It is an absolute privilege to have such an expert on the podcast. I want to dedicate this episode to everyone out there who are suffering under poor leadership. There is hope. Good leaders can and do exist - and you need to lead by example. Whether you are working in the corporate world or starting a business being a great leader is the foundation of being successful. I am sure you will take something away from this episode.

On today's show I am joined by James Spenceley. James is an Australian investor, award-winning entrepreneur and company director. He is the CEO and co-founder of MHOR asset management. He is probably most widely known as the founder and former CEO of Australia's 4th largest fixed line telco, Vocus Communications. When he stepped down as CEO of Vocus in March 2016, the company had a market capitalisation of $5 billion. He is also the Chairman of Airtasker, 2 x winner of Entrepreneur of the year, BRW rich lister, owns the Illawarra Hawks basketball team, but more importantly his biggest achievement was my as first investor ;-)

In this episode we speak about how James made the leap from the corporate world to founding Vocus and what it was like to let go of the company he founded. We also speak about his views on leading, hiring and inspiring people. His thoughts on the entrepreneurial environment in Australia are hugely insightful. If you are thinking about starting a business or thinking about investing then I think you will take a lot away from this episode.

On today's show I am joined by Kelly Slessor. Kelly is a digital and mobile marketing strategist, and the Founder and CEO of Shop You. With 18 years' experience both in Australia and overseas, Kelly began her career with British Telecom, UK's largest telecommunications provider. Kelly's focus is on increasing conversions, creating emotional connections and developing technology to solve real customer issues. She has worked with iconic brands including Westfield, Woolworths, Glue Store, Big W, Le Specs, Suncorp, David Jones, Lend Lease, Mountain Designs and Diageo.

In this interview Kelly speaks about the journey of founding her business, how to realise a product vision, the importance of prototyping and the two edge sword of startup advice. Kelly also recently attended a 2 day silent meditation retreat at a Buddhist monastery - that story alone is a good laugh. We riff on the importance and challenge of mediation, so if you are keen to explore meditation or detachment further it worth a listen.

If you are a startup founder or are thinking about leaving the corporate world to start one you will get a lot out of this episode.