Everyone is asking if we are in a tech bubble. I think we are not. But I also think that there is a bigger problem at play. In the race to be the next big thing we forgot that companies exist to fulfill a need. We got too consumed with our own numbers, our growth and hockey stick curves and who’s writing about us. ‘Oh they’re hot they got into Techcrunch’. We forgot to ask ourselves one key question: what is our purpose? Why do we exist as a business. If we disappeared tomorrow would it really matter?continue reading »

I just finished reading Howard Schultz’s book ‘Onward’ in which he tells the story of how he returned to the CEO position at Starbucks around a decade after stepping down to save it from its downward spiral.

 It’s an exhilarating read… and a story of how – once again – a great leader returns to save the company he created, and does it with courage and brevity and a commitment to a higher cause than just saving a failing company. Much like the story of Steve Job’s return to Apple, it’s a story of how passion for the purpose the company once served dies after a great leader departs, and how that’s restored through a series of controversial very non-text-book type moves. That’s what makes it a great read!

 I won’t spoil the read for you by giving it all away…I’ll just share some of those moves that really stood out for me as signs of courage and great leadership. At least how I read them.continue reading »

I write this from a snowy and beautiful Zermatt, Switzerland on (appropriately) the last day of the year. The snowfall is too heavy for skiing and alas a perfect opportunity for me to compose the thoughts and reflections on 2011 that have been circling my mind for weeks now and finally crystallized in the crisp air of the mountains.

 And I start with this: wow, what a year! Naturally as an entrepreneur the dominant story of my last 12 months is my company that consumes so much of it. What am I saying – hell – PeoplePerHour IS my life.continue reading »

Steve Jobs words for the Think Different ad are just pure perfection

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

And the Ad itself (which in the end was never aired) is probably the best ever.. i would rate it higher than the 1984 which has been dubbed the best Ad of all time

Anyone wondering whether its worth reading Steve Job’s 600 page biography that came out all i have to say is that when i started reading it i literally couldn’t put it down. Simply amazing. Funnily enough i think the text above is just a perfect summary of his life. Which was why he chose to not air it in the end as it was in his words ‘too much about me’

I recently wrote a Blog post on my Company Blog which reflects a lot on the Journey of building out PPH. I still cant believe what a Journey it has been.. a year ago we were 9 people; now we are over 50, in 2 locations and launching in another one. We have a vibrant team full of passion and energy, a community that’s vocal, demanding and tenacious that keeps us on our feet; a market thats buzzing and craving for innovation and best of all we actually serve a great cause. We help people get on their feet and find work by utilising their skills, living their dream of having their own business, being in charge of their own destiny. Its fun, its challenging, its exciting. I feel privileged and lucky to be be able to help people on that journey, achieve their dream whilst living out my very own. There isn’t a week that goes past when i don’t reflect back on that summer day in 2003 when i was depressed, sad and unhappy with my life and my job. And i decided to change it. I decided to do something foolish and crazy – start my own business at the age of 23. I accepted that people would call me nuts – most of all my parents – that i may lose money and that of others, that I would probably become a workaholic, split up with my girlfriend at the time (which i did), stay lonely for quite some time… but that i would go with it all the same. I did. Its been a roller coaster journey thats kept me on the seat of my pants, but the best decision I have ever made. I now cant imagine life without that passion, adrenalin, the challenge, the fear of the unknown; the loneliness of being an entrepreneur, the eerie feeling of going down a dark tunnel and the emotional exuberance that you feel when you see the light at the end. It makes life worth living.

Anyone thinking about doing it here my advice: stop thinking. Just do it.

And here’s the blog post: http://blog.peopleperhour.com/blogroll/growing-me-growing-you/

Ask ten managers what their company culture is and they’ll probably send you to the HR department. Frankly, I used to be one of them. Recently, I went through a turning point following which I now consider culture building my No1 priority as a leader. Here’s why.

To set the setting: my company has grown almost three-fold in headcount in the last six months. We went from just over 15 people to now about 50. Naturally what happens at this pace of growth is the controls and processes you had in place are no longer able to give you the same level of grasp on the business as before. There’s just too much going on.

The natural inclination of most managers in this situation is to inject more process, more rules and manuals, more middle layers of management to delegate to so as to ensure that things run as efficiently as they used to. Whilst some of this is necessary, if this is the only thing you do you will – at best – have an efficient machine that simply ticks on. If you’re lucky you’ll stay in business. You wont game-change.continue reading »

A while ago I wrote a post called ‘Why Start-Ups fail ” and kept it to Part 1 for two reasons. Frist, for the sake of keeping it short, but secondly, I was keen to see how the craze that we are seeing in the startup world evolves. Are we in a bubble again? What’s driving it and when will it burst? And what will drive failure and success this time around? These are questions that every VC and entrepreneur are – or should be – asking themselves.

So here’s my ‘Part 2’ with what i think are reasons to failure/success that are – in times like these – especially more relevant.continue reading »

Building a startup is an amazing journey. You get to innovate, see your baby go from infancy to walking, talking and – in time – jumping through hoops. It’s an experience that opens yours eyes, teaches you a tonne about yourself and others and rewards you more than anything through the people your product touches and changes their lives.

But its tough work. Its tough and lonely. You have no one to turn to other than your co-founders (which is why its key to have one at least). You need to be a loner of sorts, have nerves of steel and the stamina of a bull.

There’s much talk and fluff around the phases a startup goes to become successful. I’ve read a lot of them and in my view they miss the best bits. So here’s my two pence from my experience in the journey:continue reading »

Ask someone – especially an accountant, management consultant or an MBA (God forbid NOT all three in one) – “why do startups fail” and in all likelihood they will give you the text-book answer: “because they ran out of cash”. Wow, thanks! Glad to see your $180k education taught you something dude! It’s a bit like asking a doctor “how did he die?” and get a reply “because his heart stopped beating!”

The question of course is “WHAT leads to that point?” Ask them again and they will probably say “Ooooh.. you mean the causes that led to that ?! RIGHT. Bad cash management? Gotta be it”. Imbeciles!continue reading »

After almost a year and a half of absence (and fans screaming and shouting for my return of course !! J) I decided to revive my blog, the URL now changed to my name and the full one no less (seeing as I have such an easy and memorable name!)

I don’t know where to start in my effort to summarise the last 18 months or so. So much has happened. My last post was December 2008 which was one the toughest of tough times my company – PeoplePerHour.com – has gone through, and therefore one of mine. Which may be why my blogging fell in the back burner – or no burner at all as it may be.continue reading »