Founder to Founder

Welcome to Episode 100, the final episode but worry not, a new show is coming, it's called the Be In Motion Podcast.Get notified when the show launches here!Here is the link to meet Daniel Munday at DPM Transformation. He has a great offer for Founder To Founder listeners looking to get back in shape!In this episode, Phil talks with Alan Jones, an incredible entrepreneur, investor and mentor.He regularly shares powerful insights on his blog and is a highly sought after mentor for leading accelerator programs.During this episode Alan and Phil talk about time, prioritisation, solving tough problems and the three habits you need to be a successful founder.Enjoy!————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Welcome to Episode 99!Here is the link to meet Daniel Munday at DPM Transformation. He has a great offer for Founder To Founder listeners looking to get back in shape!In this episode, Phil talks with Dr Nancy Schellhorn is the CEO & Co-Founder at RapidAIM.RapidAIM uses the very latest in IoT sensor technology to take the guess-work out of pest management. It provides real-time information of insect pest detection in orchards & farms. And that’s just the beginning of this technologies impact!Prior to co-founding RapidAIM, Nancy was a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO where she developed and lead concepts to achieve pest-suppressive landscapes.RapidAIM is a venture capital back company having raised capital from Main Sequence Ventures.During this episode Nancy and Phil talk about the what it takes to overcome uncertainty when launching a company, why hiring the right team makes all the difference and the three habits you need to be a successful founder.Enjoy!————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

This week Bram Connolly talks to serial entrepreneur Phil Hayes-St Clair, CEO & Co-Founder at Drop Bio, a platform that uses systems biology, machine learning, and predictive information from finger-prick blood to better manage health and reduce disease risk. Bram and Phil have been influential in each others' careers, especially with Phil's initiative called Be in Motion. The project lets people send unexpected encouragement to others who have it tough, and also those who are doing great work. Bram is one of Be in Motion's ambassadors.Together they discuss the many different facets of entrepreneurship, including childhood experiences that molded their mindsets to modernizing concepts taught at business schools to navigating around the gig economy of today. The pair also tackle practical issues that affect entrepreneurs in both positive and negative ways, such as inspiration, mentorship, and scaling businesses.————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Welcome to Episode 97 of Founder To Founder! Here is a link to contact Phil as promised in the final part of this episode.Please also visit a new site that PhilHSC launched called Be In Motion. It’s here where you can send unexpected encouragement to someone you know doing a great job or doing it tough. It will make their day!————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In this episode Phil talks with Megan Flamer.Megan is the Founder of Mindful Under Fire and a former Program Director with BlueChilli. Prior to BlueChilli, Megan lived in San Francisco where she consulted on organisational development, communications and mindfulness for some of the world’s biggest tech and media companies.Prior to working in SF, Megan worked for more than a decade in the media across Australia and the Asia Pacific region, as a journalist and radio host with the ABC.Megan is also a highly regarded mindfulness consultant, having run her own yoga retreat and personal development company, creating mindfulness programs for high performance teams at Google, Facebook and HSBC, as well as working with vulnerable clients in prisons in Australia and the US.Having seen what works for startups (and moreover, what doesn’t) in the global heart of tech in San Francisco, Megan has returned to Australia to join the team at BlueChilli, hungry to contribute to the thriving Australian startup landscape - to support an ecosystem that is creative, dynamic and healthy, while creating new economies, new jobs and new ways of thinking.————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterIf you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.Please also visit a new site that Phil launched called Be In Motion (https://beinmotion.life). It’s here where you can send unexpected encouragement to someone you know doing a great job or doing it tough. It will make their day!

In this episode, Phil talked about makers angst.Read more here at Phil's website philhsc.com.Please also visit Be In Motion (https://beinmotion.life). It’s here where you can send unexpected encouragement to someone you know doing a great job or doing it tough. It will make their day!————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

This is a replay from Phil's conversation with Tim Curtis and Ben Pronk at the Unforgiving60 Podcast. Enjoy!S1E21- The Entrepreneur’s Entrepreneur: From Little Things…with Phil HSCThis episode is for anyone who dreams big …. And then wants to build that dream from scratch. It’s for anyone wanting to tenaciously solve a problem. This episode is for entrepreneurs and start-ups ….. and anyone working in a café wearing a hoodie!Phil Hayes- St Clair (HSC) is a career entrepreneur. With a shortened first career in the military, Phil has made his career turning kitchen table ideas into reality. Mentoring dozens or entrepreneurs himself, Phil also teaches entrepreneurship to MBA candidates at Australia’s leading business school, the Australian Graduate School of Management at UNSW.With a Bachelor of Science (Microbiology) from QUT and an MBA from AGSM, today Phil is CEO & Co-Founder of DROP Bio, a direct-to-consumer biotechnology venture. He is a Member of the Board of Directors at Sangui Bio and an Advisor at the BlueChilli HealthTech Accelerator for Southeast Asia.Here's to start-ups! And here's how!Seize your moment. Latch onto that chance!Fill your Unforgiving Minute!Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)02:45: The Early Years – Phil at Ben go to School.05:15: How Tim gets amused.08:15: How and why Phil got started as an entrepreneur … and why he didn’t give up when he failed the first time.11:00: About failing and moving on.15:15: The #Entrepreneur hashtag… isn’t it just #SmallBusiness?16:35: What you need to start! And scaling.19:30: What the motivation and enticement for being an entrepreneur?21:35: The critical importance on wanting to solve big problems.24:59: Why failure is necessary.28:00: Enticing capital into your start-up30:21: What new industries, sector or disciplines are investors looking to?31:45: Venture capital in the US versus Australia35:15: Making good entrepreneurs and celebrating successes (even if small)40:20: Phil tests Ben and Tim on their entrepreneurial skills inside the Unforgiving60 podcast:Have you set yourselves up to learn quickly?How would you rate yourselves on marketing and distribution?Have you built a community around the U60 podcast brand?47:40: Tim (and Ben) throw down the challenge to Hamish and Andy!48:19: Having fun! ‘Humour is a free circuit breaker’- Phil HSC52:15: Quick Questions/ Quick Answers to PhilWhat do you do for fun?What’s your definition of success?Definition of happiness?Any sources of inspiration?How does one become mentored by Phil HSC?Why are you running in a weight vest?What sort of writing does Phil do?How can I give a shout out of encouragement to someone?57:45: Wider ramblings and other nonsenseWhat it’s like to meet Tim (from Ben)The challenge (redux)Website & Bloghttps://philhsc.comPodcast: Founder to FounderMusic by The Externals** Opening Comments the Podcast by Lucy (age 13)

Rudy Crous is the CEO and Co-Founder of Shortlyster, a HR tech platform that uses smart data and science to match organisations with candidates ensuring they are the best fit for the role, team, and culture. Rudy co-founded Shortlyster after seeing companies consistently frustrated with the hiring process and not hiring the right people throughout his career as a Corporate Psychologist and Organisation Culture Specialist. As a Corporate Psychologist, Rudy specialises in Organisational Change and Culture Management, Operational Strategy and Planning, Workforce Training and Assessment, Team and Leadership Coaching and Development.This episode is brought to you by Be In Motion (https://beinmotion.life). It’s here where you can send unexpected encouragement to someone you know doing a great job or doing it tough. It will make their day!————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here!

Welcome to Episode 92 of Founder To Founder and the final part of PhilHSC’s capital raising masterclass. All the supporting materials from this episode can be found here.Please also visit a new site that PhilHSC launched called Be In Motion (https://beinmotion.life). It’s here where you can send unexpected encouragement to someone you know doing a great job or doing it tough. It will make their day!————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Welcome to Episode 91 of Founder To Founder and the second part of PhilHSC’s capital raising masterclass. All the supporting materials from this episode can be found here.Please also visit a new site that PhilHSC launched called Be In Motion (https://beinmotion.life). It’s here where you can send unexpected encouragement to someone you know doing a great job or doing it tough. It will make their day!————————————————Follow PhilHSCWebsiteInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastPocket CastMediumYouTubeTwitterSend Unexpected EncouragementAlso, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Welcome to part of one of PhilHSC's capital raising master class from 20 March 2019.Here are the resources that we discussed during the classStart here...Investor Selection Planning & Criteria – Google Sheet11 Things You Don’t Know About Fundraising The First Time Around – PostWhat Do You Look For In An Investment – Post (Andrew Chen)How Do I Raise Money For My Startup – Post...then continue hereHow Founders Should Think About Money – PostHow To Prepare For Investor Meetings – PostBe Wary Of The 18-Month Runway – PostHow To Prepare For Investor Meetings – PostPress Releases About Financings Are Lightening Rods For Startups – Post30 Legendary Startup Pitch Decks & What You Can Learn From Them – Post-------------------------------------Follow PhilHSCWebsite: https://philhsc.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhscLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhscApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKMedium: https://medium.com/@philhscYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHz8Ych3-HVza1_O9vKlVGgIf you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

2019 International Women’s Day. The truth is I love this occasion for two very different reasons.I identify as a feminist in the same way I do a father, husband and business leader.I take great pride in doing my part to increase opportunities for women and girls. That includes combating outdated stereotypes, the consequences of which women and girls have been subjected for the longest time.In fact, standing shoulder to shoulder alongside women like my wife, Jo Burston, Rhonda Brighton-Hall and Julie Bishop (to name a few) and taking daily strides to create an equal footing for women and girls is invigorating.Because we are on a mission. Together.IWD reminds us of our collective contribution and our conviction towards one day declaring that this day we celebrate is redundant.IWD also provides a platform to remind people of a choice that is well within their control.-----------------------------------------------------------Visit https://patreon.com/philhsc to get access to a higher-touch experience!-----------------------------------------------------------Follow PhilHSCWebsite: https://philhsc.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhscLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhscApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKMedium: https://medium.com/@philhscYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHz8Ych3-HVza1_O9vKlVGgIf you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In episode 88 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to serial entrepreneur Dr Silvia Pfeiffer.Silvia is the CEO of Coviu, a cloud application focused on enabling healthcare providers to set up video consultation services for patients and to collaborate on patient cases with peers. Silvia has more than 15 years of experience with Web video technology. She has previously worked for Google, Mozilla, NICTA, and CSIRO and has been involved in creating the Web standards that underpin the Coviu technology. Silvia has a PhD in computer science, a masters in business management, has published two books on HTML5 video, and one on video consultations for healthcare businesses.In this episode Silvia and Phil talk about how to history repeats and why backing yourself when you’re young and not underestimating how much you know (and can learn) is important. They also talked about the three habits that founders need to develop to be successful.Enjoy!RESOURCESConnect with Silvia on LinkedInVisit Silvia’s venture CoviuGet’s Silvia’s book called Beyond The Clinic3 KEY POINTSLook at how history has played out before. Fast forward to now and people look at the Australian startup scene and see and ecosystem which focused on building companies, not just placing bets on interesting ideas (2:49)The are significant advantages in delivering health services online, not least of which is the ability to help people stay on track with post surgery or injury rehabilitation (9:20)Why exercise, taking care of you and your team’s health and mental health and celebrating small wins is important (16:17)Follow PhilHSCWebsite: https://philhsc.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhscLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhscApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKMedium: https://medium.com/@philhscYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHz8Ych3-HVza1_O9vKlVGgIf you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

The punchline is to plan the four actions you need to take when the answer is ‘YES’. Consider this training to reduce surprise and potential confusion that can come from an unexpected ‘YES’.Planning for rejection, risk and worst-case scenarios is second nature to entrepreneurs. From the moment the first version of a business model is hatched, we are in de-risking mode. Ten steps back for each step forward. It’s a familiar tune. I love this grind and how it forces adaptation and learning.I also love being told ‘YES’.Doesn’t everybody?There’s nothing better when the grind pays off. Closing a partnership deal, finalising funding rounds, securing that key hire or having a product launch work better than expected makes it all worthwhile.Founders feel relief and the team embraces the shot of confidence.What happens next can make a business. Or dramatically stall its momentum.If a ’YES’ answer is the suck, then go where the suck isOpher, my good friend and co-founder at AirShr always used to remind me to ‘go where the suck is’. The essence of this statement is to serve people who like what you do. And we followed that advice but we did so carefully.In early-stage companies, founders invest a lot of time validating who makes up their actual target customers. In fact, most will tell you that moving from a ‘persona on paper’, or who you think your target customers are, to understanding who they really are is much harder than it sounds. But, you have to start somewhere.When people start expressing interest by wanting to test and buy what you’re selling, there is a natural inclination to listen more to those people.And herein lies the cautionary tale: Homogeneous customer groups are not (usually) representative of your total addressable market.Kickstarter and LinkedInThere are two interesting examples to illustrate this point.First, consider Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. While Kickstarter has helped facilitate pledges of more than 4B USD to projects on its platform (of which there have been more than 150,000 successfully funded projects), it is difficult to name 10 household brands that have achieved significant scale from starting on that platform. And while many companies have successfully adopted Kickstarter as their business model (by launching all of their products via Kickstarter), it is hard to scale beyond an early adopter market.LinkedIn is the second example. As Reid Hoffman described in his Masters of Scale podcast, the early days of LinkedIn attracted a self-organising group called LinkedIn Open Networkers (or LION’s as they became known). This large and at the time growing group believed that they should be able to connect with anyone on the platform. They also believed that everyone would want to connect with them.That was obviously not true and the LinkedIn team prevented that from happening. The point is that at the time the signal was so strong that LinkedIn could have gone where the suck was but it would have alienated other users and that would have stalled growth. A potentially terminal move.So the moral of both of these stories and why you should plan for when the answer is ‘YES’, is that if you don’t, you could find yourself course correcting your company to a false plateau. In other words, and in the absence of other recent wins, founders pursue this win as their new strategy.Keep reading hereBy the way, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when I publish my weekly long-form blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here: http://eepurl.com/drIF7r You can also follow me online:Website: https://philhsc.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhscLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhscApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKMedium: https://medium.com/@philhscYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHz8Ych3-HVza1_O9vKlVGg

In episode 86 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to former army special forces doctor turned entrepreneur Dr Dan Pronk.Dr Dan Pronk completed a Bachelor of Exercise Science at Griffith University in 1999 before studying medicine at Flinders University on an Army scholarship. Graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in Dec 2004, he continued at Flinders Medical Centre for his intern and first residency year. Dr Pronk entered into General Practice training in 2006, and subsequently completed his FRACGP in Jan 2011.In 2007 Dr Pronk posted to his first Army unit in Darwin as a Regimental Medical Officer. In 2008 Dr Pronk posted to 5 RAR in Darwin, and continued to serve with high-readiness infantry units in Sydney and Perth for the remainder of his full-time military career from 2009-2013. Dr Pronk deployed on operations on five occasions with the Army, once to Timor and the remainder to Afghanistan.During his military career Dr Pronk took a particular interest in the pre-hospital management of penetrating trauma, and had the privilege of representing the Australian Army at the NATO Special Operations Forces Medical Expert Panel.In 2014 Dr Pronk discharged from the full-time Army and commenced an MBA through University of South Australia, which he successfully completed in December 2016. In November 2014 Dr Pronk also successfully completed Early Management of Severe Trauma instructor training through the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, commencing instructing in September 2015.For the period of July 2014 - June 2015 Dr Pronk worked primarily in an Occupational Medicine role at BHPB's Olympic dam mine site in South Australia, whilst also working periodically offshore.In July 2015 Dr Pronk accepted a Senior Medical Officer role at a regional hospital in Queensland. He maintains his interest in tactical medicine through involvement with the Army School of Health's Care of the Battlefield Casualty program, as well as acting as a tactical medical consultant for various police and other government agency groups.In this episode Dan and Phil talk about how to manage being ‘in between’ ventures and transitioning from one life to another, how to manage the entrepreneurial rollercoaster and the three habits that founders need to develop to be successful.3 KEY POINTSDon’t underestimate the change an organisation needs to undertake from a team and culture perspective as it grows. This change needs to be managed and carefully and mindfully (12:03)There’s only one way to eat an elephant; one bite at a time. This is might sound cliche but it’s an effective way to thinking through events, challenges and opportunities that can be overwhelming (20:49)It’s not the critic that counts (26:35)By the way, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly long-form blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here: http://eepurl.com/drIF7r You can also follow Phil online:Website: https://philhsc.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhscLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhscApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKMedium: https://medium.com/@philhsc

Happy 2019! In this episode Phil talks about two new projects, one on Youtube and the other called Be In Motion.You can learn more about the YouTube Daily project here.You can learn more about Be In Motion here.By the way, if you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when I publish my weekly long-form blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.You can also follow me online:Website: https://philhsc.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhscLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhscApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKMedium: https://medium.com/@philhsc

In episode 84 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to Lumi CEO and Co-Founder, Yanir Yakutiel.Yanir began Lumi with one major goal in mind: to help Australian small businesses flourish by offering fast, flexible and fully transparent loans. One of the biggest differences between Lumi and other financial lenders is the fact that we harness big data in real-time, allowing us to offer customised lending decisions like no other. Having been involved with SME financing for the last 3 years, Yanir recognised the opportunity to use the power of data and analytics to create a market-leading, customer-focused small business lender that truly solves the lack of access to capital that is an existential problem for Australian small business owners. As the owner of a small business, Yanir says he understands firsthand how the lack of capital can hinder the growth of a business and limit the entrepreneurial potential of small business owners. His overarching ambition with Lumi is to empower small business owners to grow their businesses and achieve their dreams and aspirations.In this episode Yanir and Phil talk about growing a FinTech startup, leadership decision making, podcasts and the three habits that founders need to develop to be successful.3 KEY POINTSBuilding technology to achieve operational efficiency and achieve favourable unit economics was the big lesson from Sail that was carried across into Lumi because it’s good business and because in Australia, unlike the US, investors won’t fund loss making ventures for long periods of time (07:14)Startup is a team sport. A B-grade idea backed by an A-grade team will always win over a A-grade idea and a B-grade team (12:10)Making quick decisions, in particular in relation to talent and if a hire isn’t working out is essential (14:10)FOLLOW PHILHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Advisory boards are recruited to help leaders make high-quality decisions and expand influence. They are useful mechanisms in resource-constrained environments and hence popular at startups and not-for-profits.I serve on numerous advisory boards. And while these roles are different to company directorships where I manage fiduciary responsibilities with my board member colleagues, I enjoy both styles of engagement.I formed my first advisory board nearly 15 years ago. The key reflection from that first one, those I have formed since and through serving on advisory boards today is that the formation step is only a small part of the journey. The underlying routines and rituals that generate value from the advisory board is the main game.Founders contemplating the establishment of an advisory board will nod in conceptual agreement. It’s these same founders who 12 months later lament how disappointed they are with the group they brought together.The recruitment and formation of members to their advisory board might have felt like the assembly of a grand coalition of the willing. A formidable team destined to achieve greatness. But something went wrong along the way. Greatnesses is still a long way off. Advisory board members seem disinterested or hard to reach and the founder feels like a significant piece of their armour is missing.This is not a new issue.Keep reading here.-------------------------------Follow PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In episode 81 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to serial entrepreneur and Maxwell Plus CEO and Co-Founder, Elliot Smith.Maxwell Plus, a Brisbane based start up applying artificial intelligence to improve medical diagnosis. Maxwell Plus uses medical imaging, blood tests and patient data to deliver a fast and accurate diagnosis of prostate, breast, and lung cancer. Before founding Maxwell Plus Elliot completed a PhD in biomedical imaging designing the next generation of MRI scanners.In this episode Elliot and Phil talk about how to manage being ‘in between’ ventures, how designing a product is often a collaboration between multiple systems and people, and the three habits that founders need to develop to be successful.3 KEY POINTSFundraising always takes longer than expected. Maxwell Plus budgeted 3 months to raise its first round and it took nearly seven months to close the round (16:39)You get told ‘No’ a lot when you’re building a venture. No only means ‘no’, today. It often isn’t a reflection on you or the work you’re doing (18:10)People need uninterrupted time and space to do deep work. Elliot subscribes to Cal Newport’s philosophy of Deep Work, you can read more about Deep Work here (24:22)Follow PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 81, Phil talks with the team at Reckitt Benckiser about innovating within a large fast moving consumer goods company and the five ways you can win by obsessing about the problem (and not the solution).For more information about hiring Phil to talk at your event, please contact his team here. -------------------------------------------------------------------Follow PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Assumptions are the basis for most startups. After identifying opportunities, founders use assumptions to begin piecing together a narrative to communicate their vision. And it’s just expected that each assumption in a startup’s business model will get tested and iterated over time.The reality is, however, that there are assumptions that don’t get tested. Some of these are linchpin assumptions, ones that are critical to the business model that founders are selling to customers, investors and partners.The punchline is that founder’s risk building a ‘house of cards’ by relying on untested assumptions.And there are two reasons why founders press on with untested assumptions. One is legitimate, the other convenient.The legitimate reason is limited time and resources. Assumptions live on a semi-prioritised but nonetheless messy Trello board and you keep hearing yourself say ’I’ll get to them’. I’ve been there many times. As a side note, and while resource constraint is a legitimate reason, I recommend you putting your mentor(s) to work to help prioritise assumptions. This will bring them closer to your business (which they will enjoy) and you get help from a ‘friendly’.‘Convenient’ untested assumptions are more dangerous because they:Are important to the business model’s viabilityAre difficult to test (and may reveal a fatal flaw in the business model when tested)Receive the most positive feedback when a founder declares that the assumption is under control or well understoodThe third characteristic is as subtle as it is important.Consider this. You pitch to your first potential investor. They query a few of your assumptions and in the haste of wanting to appear like you have your act together, you offer a response. It is plausible and the potential investor accepts your answer. The meeting finishes and you agree to meet again shortly.You meet another prospective investor (or partner or customer) and they ask the same question as the first investor. You offer the same answer. They accept it, the cycle continues and it gets reinforced when the founder raises money using the same thesis.------------------------------------------------------------------------Follow PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In episode 79 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to serial entrepreneur and Fractal Ventures General Partner, Gerard Doyle.In Gerard’s words, ‘My mission is to help the founders, innovators, creators and dreamers find their customers, to see their product being deployed and fulfil their business potential.It is rare to find a startup that doesn’t have a unique business proposition. It is unfortunately common to watch startups fail to position their business in the correct light, and to the appropriate audience.I use my 20+ year of marketing experience combined with my experience as a founder of three Startups to help fellow founders discover and develop the optimal marketing solution for their business.You might call me a growth hacker or a part-time CMO, but whatever name you give it, I create marketing strategies for Startups’.In this episode Gerard and Phil talk about how to manage being ‘in between’ ventures, how investors should think about investing in founders and the three habits that founders need to develop to be successful.3 KEY POINTSThe faster you realise where your strengths lie, the better and it often takes someone else to help you understand where you play the best. In Gerard’s case, it was a journalist but for others this could be a mentor (09:07),Every venture has a key growth metric, it the north star for the business to grow. Know it intimately and what levers make it go up and down, it will help focus you and your team when the going gets tough AND when the going is good (20:31)Investing in founders is essential to ensure they can be there for the long haul. Sophisticated investors are more and more reluctant to participate in financing rounds where there is no portion of the round allocated to wages for the founders (26:10)FOLLOW PHILHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Wellness is a loaded term. It means too many things to too many people. And when it comes to scaling a business and teams, wellness isn’t on the critical path which is ironic given how important team performance is to a venture’s success.Some founders consider wellness a personal responsibility of each team member (that was me).Others solve for wellness by introducing yoga, healthy snacks and flexible work arrangements (to name a few) for their teams to access.These two approaches (and every option in between) are opt-in and neither one mandates co-founder participation.And herein lies the issue.Team members are cue sponges. They notice when co-founders or any person perceived to be a leader starts acting in ways to improve or degrade their wellbeing, regardless of whether the leader is acting consciously or subconsciously. It’s an unavoidable fact that they respond and modify their behaviours based on what their leaders say and do.For the record, I think wellness should get more airtime than it does today. I think it’s an undervalued asset for teams starting or scaling ventures. And while wellness isn’t likely to stand shoulder to shoulder with product, technology or marketing on the critical path, it is simple to scale.The key to this simplicity is the example co-founders set and talk about with their teams.It’s all good. Until it’s not.If I’m honest I only started embracing wellness as an ideal when I started thinking about it in terms of how I perform in the service of my wife, daughters, friends and teammates.I reframed wellness from being an esoteric, nice-to-have cliche and began thinking about it as a core capability I needed to be successful.Sound strange?Ask or observe most entrepreneurs and you’ll find that they possess a kind of invincibility psyche. This manifests in a number of ways but it boils down to their mindset being something like this: ‘If I’m always on and upbeat, I will overcome all odds and others will believe we are worth backing’.These same founders scoff at the idea of work/life balance and dismiss the ‘marathon, not a sprint’ analogy. To them, their venture, identity and livelihood are so inextricably linked that they see no other option but to never stop. This can end badly.Team members see this behaviour and try to match it in order to fit in. Or they burn out trying to. And while it’s true that entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, no investor wants to see a company fold because its founders implode.Founders who are scaling their business constantly navigate a slew of known and expected obstacles. Ironically, scaling wellness involves implementing 10 simple tactics.I encourage founders to do all 10 and then share them with their team in a kind of checklist format. Set the example and then ask the team to follow suit. It will change the game for you, your team and your business.Keep reading the full post here.--------------------------------------------------FOLLOW PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In episode 77 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to Educator Impact Founder & CEO Ken Wallace.Educator Impact is on a mission to support educators because we know better educators mean better student outcomes.Launched in 2012, Educator Impact is an innovative, evidence-based 360-degree feedback tool that provides teachers and leaders with individualised professional development plans to help improve teaching and leadership practice and enhance student outcomes.Ken and Phil talk about pivoting from a tradition career to startup, education technology and how to leverage seasonality and three habits to be a successful founder.3 KEY POINTSThe team at Educator Impact has been pivotal to its success. Their alignment to the mission of helping teachers have a greater impact on students and their learning is one of Educator Impact’s super powers.Educator Impact didn’t realise how important (and how much) seasonality played a role in the business model. As they understood how to manage the seasonality, the team was able to leverage it into a competitive advantage (15:50)Strategy is as much about what to say no too, as it is determining how to capture an opportunity (29.22)FOLLOW PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Asking the right question at the right time is an art. As my good friend Melissa Rosenthal says, it takes practice and when you get it right, it pays off in spades.Over the years I have learned that the ‘right’ questions often have three dimensions;They are open (cannot be answered by a simple Yes or No);They require thought and are delivered with context; andThey contain an element of reflection (they require the person answering to explain their logic).I have also become reliant on asking these questions for two reasons, both of which have to do with self-awareness.The first relates to pursuing a problem.Like most people I have biases and like most entrepreneurs, I come with high levels of built-in conviction for the problems I want to solve.The problem is that bias multiplied by conviction creates a potent combination that narrows the aperture to how one considers the history and future possibilities for the business model they are building.First-time founders often suffer from this. The few that don’t have a habit of continually asking questions.They and their more seasoned colleagues know that their rate of learning is driven by thoughtful disagreement which in turn is driven by regularly asking ‘why?’ and other well-considered questions.Building mission-driven teams is the second reason I strive to ask the ‘right’ questions.I believe that a culture of radical transparency is one of the most important preconditions for creating a place that attracts the best people to do career-defining work. It also helps determine those who may not be a fit. In any case, this can only be achieved if every team member feels like they can ask well-considered questions to anyone in the organisation.If this principle appeals to you, I recommend adding Kim Scott’s audiobook called Radical Candour to your listening lineup.Keep reading this post here.FOLLOW PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 75 of Founder To Founder Phil speaks with journalist and Co-Founder of SportsYear, Patrick Galloway.Patrick is a sports reporter with ABC News in Sydney. He joined the ABC in 2012 after five years working with ESPN in the United States. He was formerly a researcher for Bruce McAvaney at Channel Seven. Patrick co-founded SportsYear in 2004.RESOURCESConnect with Patrick on LinkedIn or TwitterVisit Patrick’s venture, SportsYearAudible - Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member!3 KEY POINTSThe longer you can be in market, the more likely you will understand who your true customer is and how to meet their need. Startup is a game of survival (9:55)Look beyond people who think your idea and business model is great. Determine if they would actually use your product (15:03)Know your numbers! Even if you’re not a ‘numbers person’. It’s your business. Understand it, (28:16)FOLLOW PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Where do I start with my idea?I get this question a lot and those who ask usually possess infectious excitement about an idea, are new to product development and remain convinced that their addressable market of customers is massive.The irony is that 90% of people who ask where to start, don’t.Deep down they know why and it usually comes down to three reasons.Fear is the first reason (and there’s an antidote)The first reason is fear. People fear what they don’t know and more specifically, people fear what others will think of their ideas.I don’t like venturing into motivational territory because what’s usually said isn’t practical but in this case, I’ll offer two thoughts that always prove true.The greatest triumphs live just on the other side of one’s fears.And when you break it down further, fear only plays a significant role when the person believes that the only way forward is all-or-nothing. When it comes to building a company, it’s rarely ‘all in’. The reality is that it’s a series of small experiments and a few successes for every ton of failures.Here’s the second thought:The only person who cares enough to be anxious about your ideas is – you guessed it – YOU!And here’s the antidote for fear in entrepreneurship. Just ask yourself two simple questions:On the downside, if going from idea to business isn’t all-or-nothing and it’s a series of small experiments, what have you got to lose?Then on the upside, what happens if someone is willing to pay it?Feel free to post a photo in the comments with the ‘oh yeah, he’s right’ look on your face :)------------------------Read the full post here.Follow PhilHSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In episode 73 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to Otlet and Shark Share Global Co-Founder Madeline Green.In Madeline's words, 'When I reach the end of my life I want to be able to look back and know I spent my time wisely, working towards understanding, managing and conserving the biological world around me. I don’t believe there is a need to save the world; instead I think we need to learn how to co-exist.I am a marine biologist and molecular ecologist, who studies a variety of shark and ray species.I am also an entrepreneur and the co-founder of biological sample sharing platforms; Shark Share Global and Otlet.'Madeline and Phil talk about balancing an accelerating while doing a day job (or in Madeline's case finishing a PhD!), how to manage well-intentioned startup advice, developing grit and three habits to be a successful founder.3 KEY POINTSUnderstand incentives and how they drive people to use your product but don't be surprised if when they start using it, they use it in a completely different way, that's a good thing! (12:10)When you're getting bombarded with startup advice, remember that you will hold much of the domain knowledge and the context. Frame the advice correctly but at the end of the day, back yourself and your judgement (30:32)Get ready and be good for heading one word hundreds of times: No. This is par for the course and while it might seem overwhelming to be on a streak of 'thanks but no thanks', remember to claim the lesson on each 'No'. All you need to do is ask! (31:40)RESOURCESConnect with Madeline on LinkedInVisit Madeline's venture, Otlet.Start using Trello, one of Madeline's favourite tools!Audible - Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member!FOLLOW Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Startup founders are advice magnets. Friends, family, investors, self-proclaimed experts and pundits, users and customers all like to share their two cents worth.Most founders I know do their best to balance this advice against their vision but it’s not easy.A thread on LinkedIn brought this issue to light and people from across the advice spectrum weighted in. Those on the sidelines argued that diversity of perspective is important. Founder’s said that the quality of advice from those without ‘garage experience’ is highly variable at best and that they rely on themselves to filter out the noise.I side with the latter argument as do many of my colleagues and mentees. Yet screening for advice amidst the noise remains a daily challenge. This is because founder’s don’t have all the answers all the time and insights can come from the strangest of sources. This paradox usually manifests through a fear of missing out (FOMO) or the ‘need to please’.FOMO is a fine balance of curiosity and paranoia but often favours the latter.The ‘need to please’ plays out where a perceived power imbalance exists. In the context of entrepreneurship, that perception comes from one party (investors) appearing to have more experience or capital than the other party (founders). And in order to access more experience and capital, using the thesis that more of both will accelerate growth, founders tend of over index the importance placed on advice from these people.These two emotions are real and increase a founder’s advice surface area but that doesn’t help with screening for noise.Read the full post here.Follow Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In episode 71 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to GiggedIn Founder and CEO Ed Onggo.In Ed's words, 'I try to live each day like it's my last, but learn like I’m going to live forever.I enjoy geeking out on all things tech, startups, personal development, music, neuroscience, and anything else related to becoming the most epic human one can be. Heroes include; Peter Diamandis, Tony Robbins, Naval Ravikant, Naveen Jain, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger, Tim Ferriss, Ray Kurzwell, Simon Sinek, Jim Kwik, Tom Bilyeu, Mark Sisson, Ray Dalio and lots more.The current business I am dedicated to making a huge success is GiggedIn. Our vision is to make shared experiences and going out a weekly habit. Why? Because life is short nothing tops the feeling of being in the moment at a gig or out having a laugh with mates at a show. These are the moments that are key to living a fulfilled and happy life.We make more of these experiences happen through our subscription platform that makes it easier and cheaper for our members to access tickets from a curated monthly list of about 150 concerts, festivals, comedy, cinema and theatre shows. We are doing what Spotify and Netflix have done for CD's and DVD's but for all ticketed live entertainment.I’ve led GiggedIn through several business model pivots (painful, but valuable learning experiences) to land on the model that is now experiencing healthy growth (~20% MoM). We now help thousands of members have more fun, have raised over $1.5M AUD, worked with over 2.5K events, and are backed by industry executives, tech entrepreneurs, as well as Artesian Venture Partners - one of Australia’s largest Venture Capital firms.I also regularly guest lecture at Macquarie Uni and volunteer time for UNSW CIE students to talk startups and entrepreneurship because I’ve always got time to spare to support young founders having a crack, plus I enjoy it.If you feel like I can help you in any way or you’re an investor interested in getting involved with GiggedIn - feel free to reach out.'Ed and Phil talk about tenacity, learning and three habits to be a successful founder.ResourcesConnect with Ed on LinkedInVisit Ed's venture, GiggedInAudible - Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member!3 key pointsUnderstanding incentives, particularly when building a marketplace business is essential (11:29)Patience, learning and tenacity is a winning combination. Each of these is equal parts practice and mindset (18:20)Stay married to the problem, not the solution. Solutions come and go but the problem remains constant until you nail it! (25:50)------------------------------Follow Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXPocket Cast: https://pca.st/A7ZKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

I often hear that software developers are the most difficult hire for non-technical founders.The process and questions to determine a candidate’s fit is a mystery to most of these founders. And regardless of whether they’re looking for a Chief Technology Officer or a freelancer to help hack the first version of a product, they often feel completely out of their depth when speaking with developer candidates.As a result, they rely on what they think they know about recruiting talent. For the most part, this means relying on their own experience in hiring people which as it turns out is usually, at least for first-time founders, very limited. And let’s be honest, there are few people in the world who have a perfect hiring track record.If your venture relies on software, and just about all do, the need to get hiring decisions right is important. In fact, it’s crucial because (and speaking from experience) getting it wrong can be terminal.Read the full post here.-----------------------Follow Phil HSC:Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 69 of Founder To Founder, Phil talks to The Safety Compass Founder and CEO Adam Poole.The Safety Compass is a Work Health & Safety risk management tool designed to help workers assess, manage and avoid dangers in their workplace and help bring them home.The Safety Compass can also assist insurers with underwriting decisions by providing detailed information on site hazards, sourced directly from the workers and in real time.Adam and Phil talk about resilience, tenacity and the future of workplace safety.3 Key HighlightsGlobally, a work related fatality happens every 15 seconds, 2.5 M people go to work each day that don’t come home (07:12)Safety Compass’s vision is the create a world where everyone comes home from work (10:13)Adam got rejected by 150 investors before gaining investor traction (34:00)Follow Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

Episode 68 of Founder To Founder is a recording of Phil's keynote at BlueChilli, Australia's leading early stage accelerator at which he is an advisor. This keynote is based on this post.-----------------Follow Phil HSC:Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

I hate losing customers.And it’s one thing to lose customers if you sell to consumers where the universe of potential customers is high and attrition is expected. It’s quite another if your business sells to other businesses. In these companies, a relatively small group of customers create the majority of the value and it can take months, if not years, to develop those relationships.Losing one of these customers can be devastating. And in worse case scenarios losing a customer can start a chain of events that can be terminal.This issue came up in my slack channel where I support 37 entrepreneurs.The loss of the customer came about through a growing company experimenting with using sub-contracted talent to scale the delivery of its work to customers.When done well, this can be a very effective solution but in this case, the result was damaging to the companies brand and they had lost the customer.I have been in this situation before. Many have too. Losing a customer comes with shock, disbelief and a grieving process. These emotions also (usually) come with a lack of perspective as the founders are left to quickly diagnose and repair the issue by themselves.That didn’t happen this time.Read the full post here.----------------------------Follow Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPKOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 66 of Founder To Founder, Phil speaks with Bron.Tech Co-Founder Emma Poposka. -----------------Follow Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPK Overcast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/ If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

The punchline: Think first about how you want to be remembered. It will help you answer what you want to do in life.So, what do you want to do?I struggled with this question for the longest time.There was a storm inside me that constantly reminded me of my potential. The problem was I didn’t know how to apply it to answer this question.Practicality told me to earn money to pay rent.Experience told me to rust on to the best leaders to accelerate my learning.Military service told me to never underestimate the power of high calibre teams and mateship.My upbringing told me to respect people’s perspectives, motives and religion.And hope told me that hard work’s payoff would reveal my ‘why’.But hope isn’t a strategy and I was also no closer to answering what I wanted to do when asked by friends, colleagues or recruiters. And when the question came up when a military career was no longer an option and after my first venture failed, saying ‘I don’t know’ or fabricating an answer was exhausting.I was desperate for an answer. The frustration was palpable and it kept me awake at night.That’s no longer a problem.Read the post here------------------------Follow Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPK Overcast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode #64 of Founder To Founder Phil speaks with Dr Jemma Green, Co-Founder of PowerLedger who raised Australia's largest Initial Coin Offering of $34M.----------------Follow Phil HSCApple Podcasts: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2lGHaPK Overcast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

This episode is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, In Between.I’m bringing this forward as a result of an unexpected conversation I had with a 24-year-old first-time founder this week. While his venture failed and his circumstances are synonymous with the risk and journey of entrepreneurship, he has a bright future.In Between lays out the approach to help entrepreneurs move between ventures. And this approach extends beyond entrepreneurs to apply to people and communities who experience profound changes in personal context, including families transitioning from the military and those departing long-term careers.Read the full post here.----------------------------- Follow Phil HSC:iTunes: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 62 of Founder To Founder, Phil speaks with Jessica Christiansen-Franks, an urban designer and social entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to understanding the social implications of urbanisation. Jessica has an insatiable curiosity about how cities work which has seen her work across Australia, as well as the United Kingdom, Canada, India, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Passionate about creating liveable, equitable and interesting cities, Jessica has over fifteen years experience working across urban design, placemaking, community development and citizen engagement, and been involved in some of Australia's most complex and notable urban development projects. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Neighbourlytics, Jessica is focussed on using big data to provide insights into the unique local identity of neighbourhoods to create places people love and feel connected to.Phil and Jessica talk about the rollercoaster of creating a data aggregation business, harnessing the passion of team members and the three habits that make founders successful.-------------------------------Follow Phil HSC:iTunes: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/​If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

There is only one thing I like more about sales than closing deals. It’s getting a quick ‘thanks, but no thanks’.And when I say closing deals, I’m not just talking about revenue and partnerships, I’m talking about achieving buy-in from colleagues for decisions on internal projects.Over the last five years, I have honed a technique to help get a quick YES or NO from potential customers, investors and colleagues. A colleague overheard me using it this week and twigged to the fact I was using it regularly to good effect so I thought I would share it.It is not rocket science but it has taken practice.Read the post here------------------------Follow Phil HSC:iTunes: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In the second part of this special two-part conversation of Founder To Founder, Phil speaks with serial entrepreneur, Kim Teo.Kim Teo is Co-Founder of PitchBlak, Australia’s largest supporter of idea-stage entrepreneurs. PitchBlak has raised $20M for their own startups and learned plenty of hard lessons along the way. Alongside continuing to launch their own ventures, they now help founders across Australia to validate their ideas and build a compelling story to get pre-seed investment.And here are five things you'll want to know about Kim before you meet:• There's always an audiobook or podcast playing• Get a kick out of spotting and seizing opportunities• Say what I'll do and do what I say• Straight up, respectful, no BS• ENTP – Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking, ProspectingKim and Phil talk about growth, short circuits to success by leveraging the knowledge of entrepreneurs around the world, how to think about market-place businesses and three habits that make founders successful.Follow Phil HSC:iTunes: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/​If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In the first part of this special two-part conversation of Founder To Founder, Phil speaks with serial entrepreneur, Kim Teo.Kim Teo is Co-Founder of PitchBlak, Australia’s largest supporter of idea-stage entrepreneurs. PitchBlak has raised $20M for their own startups and learned plenty of hard lessons along the way. Alongside continuing to launch their own ventures, they now help founders across Australia to validate their ideas and build a compelling story to get pre-seed investment.And here are five things you'll want to know about Kim before you meet:• There's always an audiobook or podcast playing• Get a kick out of spotting and seizing opportunities• Say what I'll do and do what I say• Straight up, respectful, no BS• ENTP – Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking, ProspectingKim and Phil talk about growth, short circuits to success by leveraging the knowledge of entrepreneurs around the world, how to think about market-place businesses and three habits that make founders successful.Follow Phil HSC:iTunes: http://apple.co/2pc0GqJSpotify: http://spoti.fi/2AdJcPHOvercast: http://bit.ly/2HhJAMXInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhsc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhsc/If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

The punchline is that money needs to survive three tests when you’re an entrepreneur.I raise this after troubling conversations this past month which left me thinking that most first-time founders don’t know how to think about money.While the reasons vary, I think the core of this issue lies in how people have received and valued money in their lives before taking on investment.People invest for different reasons, three reasons actually...Keep listening or read the full post here.**************Thanks for listening. If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 57 of Founder To Founder, Phil speaks with Elevacao CEO & Founder, Marisa Warren. Marisa is a global start-up advisor, investor, social entrepreneur and speaker, who is incredibly passionate about elevating women to higher levels and building a collaborative tech ecosystem. As an entrepreneur, Marisa has built three global businesses from idea stage to revenue producing, and worked in Australia and New York for companies such as SAP, Microsoft and Workday.Whilst living in New York, Marisa founded ELEVACAO a global not for profit empowering women entrepreneurs to build and launch successful tech businesses. Since ELEVACAO’s launch ​mid-2015, we've helped over 80 women get pitch ready for investment funding across New York, Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco launching April 2018. Marisa and Phil talk about the catalysts for welcoming more women into startups and technology role, how to move between life events and failure and four habits that make founders successful.

Investor: 'Will your business scale?'Entrepreneur: 'Yes!'That’s the default answer from soon to be founders and entrepreneurs.It’s obvious to them that a need exists and the prospect of reaching millions of users and customers is intoxicating.But as my colleague Jeffrey Tobias says, it’s a mistake to think that a startup is a small business.His point, quite rightly, is that small businesses have limited growth potential.Startups, on the other hand, are limited to the size of the addressable market.And it’s this nuance that first-time founders rarely consider.At the heart of the difference between a startup and a small business is the number of units of value that can be generated per person over time.Keep listening or read the full post here.**************Thanks for listening. If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 53 Phil speaks with serial entrepreneur Antonia Saint Dunbar.Antonia led the design of THINX and was the Chief of Operations for years, and she is now taking on the shoe industry with her new high-tech heels and flats that feel like sneakers on the inside. She raised $1.8M in 40 days with pre-orders from 7,000 people around the world. Nominated as one of Women 2.0's "Top Female Founders to Watch", and called a "Feminist Genius" by the press for the invention of THINX (Fast Company's Most Innovative Co's of 2017, Entrepreneur's Most Brilliant Co's of 2016, and one of TIME Magazine's "Top 25 Inventions for 2015"), Antonia is passionate about disruptive innovation to provide solutions for women. Through the THINX Foundation, the Fistula Foundation and other giveback partners, she creates companies that are dedicated to purpose in addition to profits, and solutions to help support gender equality worldwide. Interesting facts: THINX was a TriBeCa Disruptive Innovation winner alongside the likes of the founders of Warby Parker, Twitter and Kickstarter as well as Scooter Braun (Justin Beiber) and Adam Braun (Pencils of Promise). Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, designers and artists, Antonia learned early on that you can create something out of nothing and that your idea exist in the world at large to help better people's lives. When she led the design of THINX and wrote the patent, she felt it already in her DNA to do so. Before co-founding THINX, Antonia was a marketing/PR executive who made key partnerships at various production companies, and she has also toured the world and played cello with artists like Carly Simon and John Forte of The Fugees.Phil and Antonia talk about how to move between ventures, developing resilience, integrating parenting with growing ventures and the three habits that make founders successful.

Patience is the most difficult mindset to master when you are naturally urgent. It doesn’t come easily to me or many of my colleagues. And the irony that entrepreneurship is equal parts patience and urgency isn’t lost on us either.I have found that while you need to be urgent and patient simultaneously, the mix of each one changes with time. The issue is you only realise that in retrospect.In the early days of a venture, founders are in full control of their time. They can design and tinker in the relative privacy of their development environments. Urgency is high, patience can be low.As ventures grow and expectations on investment and growth start to take hold, that mix should change.And it might. Slightly. From say a 90% urgency, 10% patience ratio to 80:20.This slight increase in patience is afforded to internal activities where larger teams take longer to collaborate and get things done. And for the most part, the activities the team are focused on are relatively contained and controllable.The nuance here is that growth also comes with additional external dependencies, all of which take time.The one thing that founders never want to think, hear or embrace is that despite their best efforts to create urgency, the world outside their venture’s walls moves at its own pace.Partnerships take longer to form, consumer marketing takes time to optimise and product development needs to respond to a broader audience.The cumulative effect of these realities puts obvious pressure on runways. It also creates stress on the already limited bandwidth of small teams and narrows the universe of available tactics to extend the time in market.Keep listening or read the full post here.**************Thanks for listening. If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In Episode 53 Phil speaks with John Bale, CEO and Co-Founder of Soldier On, a Not-For-Profit established after he discovered a severe lack of support for veterans (and their families) who discharged after sustaining injuries during their service.John served in the Australian Army for 12 years and finished his career as a Chief of Army Scholar writing on the de-stigmatisation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Australian Army. He was state finalist for 2014 Young Australian of the year and winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 (Eastern Region).Phil and John talk about changing the perception of Post Traumatic Stress, the value veterans bring to the community, negotiating the 'in between' and the three habits that make founders successful. RESOURCESTribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger - One of John's favourite booksThe Founder's Mentality by Chris Zook and James Allen - Another of John's favourite booksThe Dead Prussian - John's favourite podcastConnect with John on LinkedIn and TwitterAudible - Get a FREE Audiobook & 30-Day Trial if you’re not currently a member!3 KEY POINTSThe mission remains constant (Soldier On's mission is to create the best generation of reintegrated veterans in Australia's history) but how you achieve it changes (07:15)Casting veterans with Post Traumatic Stress as the victims makes it easy in the 24/7 news cycle to understand and support the issue. This is not malicious but the conversation has not included the great qualities that veterans bring to companies and society and Soldier On is working to level up this narrative (10:42)Being 'in between' (ventures as an entrepreneur or transitioning from the military for veterans) can be really daunting. Having a network of support is essential. For entrepreneurs that means engaging with other founders. For veterans that means connecting with Soldier On (18:36)

Most parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles know of Hairy Maclary. For the uninitiated, Hairy is a fictitious dog who lives at a dairy and embarks on adventures with his friends. Each story is playfully illustrated, written in rhythmic verse and begs the reader to deliver each page with theatrical enthusiasm.I owe a great deal to New Zealand author Dame Lynley Dodd, the creator of this great character.An embarrassing realisationMy introduction to Hairy Maclary took place when our eldest daughter was a small number of months old. Until that point, I had been winging it. As clumsily as one could, I had been making my way through our story time routine using stilted and stutter-filled language. It didn’t seem to matter until one day our daughter looked up at me when I tripped over a simple phrase, again and again. The look on her face said, ‘what’s wrong?’Filled with shame, I had no response.Keep listening or read the full post here.**************Thanks for listening. If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.

In episode 51 Phil speaks with Australian entrepreneur Matt Parry who founded a brand that is taking on Pringles around the world.The Good Crisp Company launched in the US market in early 2017 as the premium and natural Pringle alternative. Today Matt's product is in over 3,000 supermarkets, one of the top ten fastest growing brands in Whole Foods stores and on track to do over $5M in sales in 2018 from $0 in 2017.Phil and Matt talk about planning for unexpected success, the role of grass-roots sales plays in learning how to manage large B2B deals and the three habits that make founders successful. ***************Thanks for listening! If you'd like to be the first to know when new episodes are available, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow the show on Spotify or sign up for the insider's newsletter!

Stress is an unavoidable part of a startup. It affects team members in different ways and it’s constant in a founders life.There is a long list of situations, decisions and expectations that create stressful conditions. Add fatigue and a perfect storm of stress can easily besiege even the most accomplished entrepreneur.It would be easy to lump startup stress management with the founding team but I think it is, and always will be, a team effort.Keep listening or read the full post here.**************Thanks for listening. If you'd like to know when new episodes are released or when Phil publishes his weekly blog post, sign up for the insider's email list here.