Searchlight - The Entrepreneurs Journey

To mark the end of season three of the progam, we take a look back at just a few of the many highlights that co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan have had the pleasure of bringing to you. It was really hard to select extracts from 29 programs and some 53 hours of talking to such a superb line up of guests. But we eventually managed to get it down to just 14 pearls of wisdom covering a range of topics and issues that arise on the Entrepreneurial Journey. 

Colin Kinner – What statups need to do to understand their market and test it.
Mike O’Hagan – Tells the story of how he founded Mini Movers.
Llew Jury – Why your MVP and speed to market is important.
Marten Jagers – On the importance of getting the right people around you.
Lindy Chen – Thinking of the Entrepreneur as a Business Scientist.
Joe Barnewall – On the importance of knowing your Why.
Craig Charlton - Talking about their experience of getting their product patented.
Mark Metzeling – On the common errors he see startups making in relation to Intellectual Property.
Ian Parke – On the importance of understanding numbers.
Vu Tran - On the role and importance of sales and why being a good salesperson is like being a good doctor.
Mark Jones - What is Digital Marketing.
Piers Cockram – Exiting and how it relates to the Founders Why.
Steve Baxter – The best ways for Startups to get funded.
Simon Horne -  What are the essential elements that need to be in a pitch.

On this last show John and Sharyn are also joined by Startup Mentor and Innovation Advisor, Kellie Dyer.

We have covered many points on the Entrepreneurs Journey over the last three seasons, but there is one key topic we have not got to yet, the Exit. It’s often hard for founders to think about the exit when they are just at the start of their Entrepreneurial Journey, but as with all good planning, it helps to start with the end in mind. So as a founder, what do you need to do to think about, plan for and then eventually manage your exit? Joining Sharyn and John to look at this important topic are Andy Hill, Australian Regional Director of international Merger and Acquisition advisors Corum Group plus Josh Steele, partner of Brisbane based law firm Piper Alderman. To provide the perspective of a Founder who has successfully navigated more than one exit, we are also be joined by Brisbane based software Entrepreneur Piers Cockram. Listen in to check out the ins and outs of Exits!

Pitching is an essential part of the capital raising process for many startups, getting your pitch right can be make or break. But what should, and what should not, go into your pitch so that it hits the mark with prospective investors? In this edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey, we take a look at what are the essential ingredients that make for a good pitch. We will also delve into that ‘elephant in the room’ topic, valuation. Just what is the best way to handle the issue of valuation in your pitch? To help us answer these questions regular hosts Sharyn and John are joined by experienced startup and investment advisor Dr Chris Booth of 42 Ventures, Simon Horne, founder and CEO of Australia’s largest Angel Investment group, Angel Loop. Also joining us to share her own Entrepreneurs Journey experience is the founder of Female sports body protection specialists Fempro Armour, Stephanie Bofinger.

In this edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey, by way of a prelude to the forthcoming Young Entrepreneur Summit taking place at Redlands Performing Arts Centre of the 14th of September 2022, we take look at the topic of Entrepreneurship for the younger generation. Joining regular hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are the organisers of the summit, leading social entrepreneur Taj Pabari along with Tionne Young from The ASE Group. Taj and Tionne tell us about the summit and how they encourage the younger generation to take onboard the possibilities and opportunities that entreprenership can open up for younger people. We also hear from an insirational young entrepreneur, Siobhan Wilson, author and founder of Redlands based Our Pixie Friends along with her Startup Mentor, Kellie Dyer.

In this edition of Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey we once again throw the program over to become ‘Redlands Angels Live’ where two startups deliver their pitches to our panel of Redlands Angels investors.  You can hear the pitches and get a flavour of the type of questions, debate and discussion that takes place following a pitch. We also try to uncover what interests prospective Angel investors and why they focus on some areas of a pitch rather than others.

On the receiving end of the pitches and giving feedback are Redlands Angels members Tony Wheeler, Greg Bevan and John Burkett. John also doubles up as program co-host alongside Sharyn Doolan.

There is a battle going on in the business world, it’s one that’s been going on for a long time, but it’s probably never been as bad as it is now. That battle is the battle for talent, finding and recruiting the right talented people to not just run your business but also the talent that can help grow it and take it to the next level. Tech startups have faced the issue of finding the right technical talent for years, but the issue is now more widespread as those with skills in other areas become increasingly in demand. So, what can you do to make sure you are as best equipped as possible to win your skirmish in the battle for talent? To answer this question on this edition of the Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey program, regular host Sharyn Doolan and guest host Tony Wheeler are joined by Caddy Neville - Talent Acquisition Partner at video games developer Gameloft,  Sunny van Angelsen - Talent Acquisition Consultant at Professional Recruitment Australia and Paul Collins – CEO of Skills management platorm SkillsTX.

Not so long ago, if you went to business school to learn about marketing you would have been taught about the ‘P’s of marketing, Product, Price, Place, Promotion etc. But the Internet and the growth of social media has changed those old principles forever. So in this edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey, we take a look at the importance of digital and online marketing and ask what, as as a founder or business owner, do you really need to know and understand about it?

Joining regular hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan to explore this important topic is online and digital marketing expert Mark Jones of Your Digital Solution. We will also be joined by some entrepreneurs to find out about their real-life journey in using on-line and social media marketing, Diane Conroy of Wild Woolly Heads, a craft product business, Drew Campbell of business insurance broker startup Tetris Insurance and Paul Collins of Redlands based software as a service business SkillsTx.

In this month’s Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey we will be taking a look at Accelerators, Hubs and Start up Programs. If you are in the world of startups and early-stage ventures, you will no doubt have heard about these and the related concept of co-working spaces. But what are they all about? How do they differ and how can locating your Startup in a Hub or doing an Accelerator program really add value to your business and help it be successful? Joining regular co-host Sharyn Doolan and special guest co-host Tony Wheeler are Sharon Hunnybell, CEO of the Gold Coast innovation Hub. Pauline Fetaui, General Manager of Brisbane based River City Labs and Kellie Dyer, principal of Keldy consulting.

It’s an old maxim that sometimes you have to spend money to make money, and that’s never truer than in the world of startups and early-stage businesses. In this edition of Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey, we are focusing on what you need to know about getting investment from Angel Investors. How do Angel Investors operate? What do they look for in an investment? What are the key dos and don’ts around getting an Angel investor on board? To answer these questions and more, regular hosts John and Sharyn are joined by Mike Avey, Managing Director of Pachira Capital, a Director of Redlands Angels and a former CEO of Brisbane Angels. Greg Beaven is a Redlander and tech entrepreneur who is also a member of both Redlands Angels and Brisbane Angels. To give the perspective of a business that has successfully obtained Angel funding, we have Royce Crown, CEO of Monarc Global, a platform that delivers real-time automated pricing for aircraft charter operators. The panel also run trough John's list of 'Common Pitch Fails' - so listen in to make sure you don't make one of these classic errors in your pitch!

It’s the last program in this second season of Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey, so once again we are going to check in with some of the Startups that have featured on earlier programs and get an update on how they are progressing. Has the plan worked? Or have unexpected issues or hurdles arisen that have forced changes to the original business plan? We will also find out from our founder Entrepreneurs what their individual Entrepreneurial Journey has been like so far and if they have any key learnings to share or messages for others about to embark on their own Entrepreneurs Journey. Joining hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are;

- Jeff Jaraved and Taryn Syratt co-founders of CAASie, the Logan based Billboard ad serving platform.
- Robert Johnson founder of Agtechnic, the Redlands based startup looking to deliver vehicle automation technology to agricultural vehicles
- Amanda White, General Manager of Redlands Bay based Freelance Robotics.

As we near the end of the second season of Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey it’s time to check in with some of the Startups that have featured on earlier programs and get an update on how they are progressing. Has the plan worked? Or have unexpected issues or hurdles arisen that have forced changes to the original plan? We will also find out from our founder Entrepreneurs what their individual Entrepreneurial Journey has been like so far and if they have any key learnings to share or messages for others about to embark on their own Entrepreneurs Journey.

Joining hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are;

Christine Keeling - founder of natural skincare products business Long Haul Spa.

Andrew Curnow - founder of Miit, the social media app that aims to connect likeminded people.

Phil West - co-founder of Siren Cameras Pty Ltd, a line attached dual-facing camera for game fishing.

Following on from the success of our first attempt at this back in May, in this editon of Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey we once again become ‘Redlands Angels Live’ where two startups will deliver their pitches to our panel of Redlands Angels investors.  You can hear the pitches and get a flavour of the type of questions and the debate and discussion that takes place following a pitch. We also delve a little into what motivates some of those searching questions from prospective investors.

Pitching we have;
Stuart Clough - Founder of NoiseNet, a service for assessing and monitoring the impact of noise on residential properties.
Paul Collins - Co-Founder of SkillsTx, a platform that enables enterprise businesses to assess and manage the skills development of their Digital and IT workforce.

On the receiving end of the pitches and giving feedback will be Redlands Angels members Tony Wheeler, Simon Horne and John Burkett. John also doubles up as program co-host alongside Sharyn Doolan.

In this edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey we lift the lid on the topic of ‘Defining and Refining your business model’.

We hear the term business model referred to a lot, but what does it really mean and how can having clarity on your business model really help you move your business forward? Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are guests;

Marten Jagers – Successful Entrepreneur and co-founder of Stratapp, the app the helps you grow and scale your business.
Joe Barnewall - Expert Mentor and Managing Director of Lagano Business Strategists
Lindy Chen - Founder of Brisbane based startup Frethan Technology and the founding president of Australia Blockchain Alliance

in this edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey we take a look at the topic of ‘Having the right mindset’.

We know that when it comes to founding a startup it takes a different approach, a different mindset, to be successful. The same applies to running a successful business. But what exactly do we mean by ‘mindset’? It’s easy to see that a different mindset to that of a 9 to 5 job is probably going to help, but how does that fit against making sure you have work/life balance and avoiding burnout?

Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan to explore this topic will be guests;

- Garry Hargrave – Principal of local developers Fox and Bell and former president of the Redland City Chamber of Commerce.
- Peta Ellis - former CEO Brisbane’s River City Labs. Entrepreneur in residence at QUT and co-founder of Tribe Global.
- Rebecca Dredge – Winner of the Australian Mumpreneur Award for Digital Innovation and founder of Kiddo, the app that connects parents with nannies and babysitters.

Last month on our Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey program we looked at ‘Building the right team’, almost inevitably, that discussion started to touch on the importance of good Leadership. So in this month’s program we take a deeper dive into the topic of Leadership. A much talked about and highly valued role and combination of attributes, yet one that can also be somewhat ephemeral and difficult to pin down. 

- What is ‘Leadership’ and what does it really mean to be a leader, especially in a business context?
- Can the skills of being a leader be learned, or are there some innate personality traits that are necessary prerequisites to being a good leader?
- What can those in leadership positions in business learn from other areas where good leadership is critical?

Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan is a stellar line up of guests to offer some unique insights into the topic of Leadership.

Major General Stephen Day, DSC, AM – Distinguished Australian Army General, former head of Cyber Security at the Australian Dept of Defence and author of “Thoughts on generalship : lessons from two wars”.

Cindy Corrie – Founder of The Sycamore School - Autism Friendly Learning and consultant on Strategy, Culture and Community Engagement at GOOD HUMAN Engagement Strategies.

Stephanie Khalil – Founder and CEO of Travel app Onroute

Conventional wisdom has it that the dream team requires a Hipster, a Hacker and a Hustler, but is that necessarily true, or is there more to it than that? Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan to shine our searchlight on this topic, as well as offer some practical tips based on their experience will be.

Justin Falk – Founder of Brisbane based TalentVine
Kellie Dyer – Innovation Advisor and Facilitator with Impact Innovation Group Pty Ltd
Nicola Steel - Founder of JJP Talent Solutions

In this edition of Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey, we depart from our usual format to try something that has (as far as we are aware) never been done on radio before!  We are throwing this program over to become ‘Redlands Angels Live’ where three startups will deliver their pitch to our panel of Redlands Angels investors. You can hear the pitches and get a flavour of the type questions and the debate and discussion that takes place following a pitch.

Presenting their pitches are;

Katie Richards – Founder of Law on Earth
Nicolas Robertson - Founder of SwapU
Ali Galadari – CEO and co-founder of Conpago

On the receiving end of the pitches and giving feedback are Redlands Angels members Tony Wheeler, Simon Horne and John Burkett. John also doubles up as program co-host alongside Sharyn Doolan.

This month we will be taking a look two closely linked and much talked about topics, ‘Strategy, and knowing if and when to pivot’. So much is talked about when it comes to ‘strategy’, but what do we really mean when we talk about having ‘strategic clarity’? What is a pivot and why can they be so key for startups and early-stage businesses? We value a laser like strategic focus, but a pivot is about a change of strategy. So how do you know when it’s right to consider a pivot?

Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan to consider these questions as well as tell us about their own 'Entrepreneur's Journey' are;

- Robert Buehrig, founder and CEO of Cogniom
- Mark Gustowski, Managing Director of Innovation Architects
- Peter Laurie, Mentor and Entrepreneur in Residence at River City Labs
- Maree Beare - founder and CEO of healthcare platform Wanngi

*The program was transmitted live just hours after the greater Brisbane area went into a 3 day COVID lockdown.

There are a plethora of places that budding Entrepreneurs can go to for advice, but are some better than others? Is paid for advice better than free advice? Can too much advice be a bad thing? Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan to discuss this topic, as well as tell us about their own 'Entrepreneur's Journey' are;

- Michael Edgely, the highly successful tour promoter, film producer and the entrepreneurial force behind Michael Edgley's Great Moscow Circus
- Amanda Cole, business strategist, co-founder of Groei - Growth Education Institute and local group chair for The Executive Connection (TEC) Australia and New Zealand
- Marc Orchard, director of Startups at BDO Australia
- Gail Bray and Craig Charlton from local Brisbane startup Lock Jaw Ladder Grip

We all know that successful Sales and Marketing is a lynchpin for the success of any business, but should we be thinking about Sales and Marketing one single process, or are they in reality two different things? In this edition we will be looking at the differences between, and differing perceptions of, sales versus marketing. Should these be regarded as one process, or two closely linked but different things? Does a good marketing person necessarily make a good sales person, and vice versa? Why does marketing attract so much attention, while sales is often regarded as a less glamorous process?

Joining hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan to help answer this question and also tell us about their own Entrepreneurial Journeys are;

Vu Tran - Co-Founder of on-line e-learning platform Go1
Mark Jones - MD of digital marketing agency Your Digital Solution
Matt Holme - CEO & Founder at Fintech/Ecommerce startup YouPay

In this program we will be taking a look at that most popular of startup activities, the investment pitch. We will be asking the question ‘To pitch or not to pitch?’. Is doing a pitch to get investors the only way to get your startup funded, or are there other options available? Joining hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan to help answer this question and also tell us about their own Entrepreneurial Journeys will be;

Steve Baxter – TV 'Shark', Partner at TEN13, CEO of Transition Level Investments and former Queensland Chief Entrepreneur
Pauline Fetaui – General Manager of Brisbane Tech Innovation hub River City Labs and founder of CheeHoo
Karyn Owen – from Owen Custom Products, a Redlands based designer and manufacturer of specialist mining equipment control products.
Sandra (de Jesus) Ebbott – Founder and CEO of Mizzie The Kangaroo a successful Brisbane based children’s toy product

For this program our topic is “Understanding the numbers”. There is a whole range of numbers that startup founders need to make sure they are across, and we are not just talking about accounting numbers! Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are;

Anthony Owen from OnMarket the equity crowdfunding platform. Anthony has 25+ years’ experience across local and global digital media and technology companies.

Warren Maris from Magnus Business Advisers joins us to consider looking at the numbers from the accounting perspective.

Leisa Papa founder of Little Kids Business, a local on-line store startup, shares her journey as a 'mumpreneur' and talks about the numbers she monitors every day.

Ian Parke founder and CEO of FIN-PAY FX shares his entrepreneurs journey into the world of fintech and how an understanding of key business metrics has aided his success.

Our topic for this show is one that’s critical for many startups, Intellectual Property – What it is and how to protect it.

Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are;

Gail Bray and Craig Charlton of Lock Jaw Ladder Grip - World Class Ladder Safety Device, a patented ladder safety accessory that helps people stay safe on ladders and prevent injuries. Now being exported worldwide.

Mark Metzeling Special Council at Macpherson Kelley, in addition to being a qualified Solicitor Mark also has a Masters of Intellectual Property Law.

Rob Johnson from Agtecnic, a Redlands based startup who aims to enable the smarts of self-driving technology to be retro fitted to existing agricultural vehicles.

Jeff Jaraved & Taryn Syratt from Logan based CAASie App, an online app that lets you advertise on digital billboards.

For the August 3rd edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey we take a look at why speed to market is so critical and important for Startups and exploring the thinking behind the concept of the ‘Minimum Viable Product’.

Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are guests;

Llew Jury, founder and MD of Sprint Ventures. Llew has also founded several other successful startups including Advancer and digital marketing group Reload Media. Llew is also the Entrepreneur in Residence at Brisbane’s River City Labs.

Colin Kinner, founder and CEO of Startup Onramp, the training and mentoring program for startup founders.

Phil West, co-founder of Siren Cameras, a line attached dual-facing camera for fishing.

Trish Mackie-Smith, CEO of Inndox the digital property logbook, designed to speed and ease the property handover process for builders. Inndox replaces a mass of bound documents with an on-line property log book for units, houses and commercial properties.

This month, we turn the spotlight towards considering the importance of having the right business structure in place and also looking at the ‘Solo / Co-founder’ conundrum. Do startups fare better with a solo founder or with co-founders at the helm?

Joining co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are;

Daryl Pattemore of Pattemores Meats. Alex hills based Pattemore’s Meats is a name synonymous with quality meat products, and with the Redlands.

Cathy Young of The Local Business Network, Redlands City  - Cathy, along with husband Geoff, share their accumulated business knowledge and experience though their coaching and mentoring work.

Nicholas Robertson, Founder of SwapU - Nic wanted to help people to swap and share, so he developed SwapU, an app that helps people swap (pretty much) anything and everything.

Robert Buehrig Founder of Cogniom - A not great experience with a relative in hospital convinced Robert that organisations need to better understand workflows and efficiently prioritise improvement projects by their return on investment potential.

For our June program we take a look at understanding your business model and how that links to the importance of having a clearly defined value proposition.   Joining co-hosts Sharyn Doolan of Bay FM and John Burkett of Startup Redlands & Advicepoint Business Consulting are guests;

Mike O’Hagan – Best known locally as the founder of Brisbane success story Mini Movers, Mike is an international serial entrepreneur. Mike shares with us his Entrepreneurs Journey and his thoughts on the essentials of what makes a great entrepreneur.

Donna Stone - Donna is a local Redlands based business coach who helps business owners to achieve their goals through business education, support, guidance and accountability. Donna shares with us some of the common themes she’s seen with customers over the Covid-19 crisis along with her thoughts on our key topics.

Steve Lambourne – Steve tells us how his business SS Signs has evolved from a local signage company to being Brisbane’s leader in LED digital signage and about how their business model had changed on that journey. Steve also shares with us some of his vision for the new Hub58 precinct he has played a key role in establishing at the old Rural Press site at Ormiston.

Amanda White – Amanda is the GM of Capalaba based Freelance Robotics. Amanda tells about how their business model has transitioned in response to customer needs and also sheds light on precisely what the ‘Industry 4.0 revolution’ means for businesses in the Redlands, and the whole of Australia.

This month we continue looking at the world of Startups and consider how it’s necessary to deal with the ‘What problem are you solving’ question. We also look at this idea can be applicable to any business dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 emergency.  Joining co-hosts Sharyn Doolan of Bay FM and John Burkett of Startup Redlands & Advicepoint Business Consulting are guests;

Jeff McEvoy of Salads Made Fresh -  Jeff tells us about his Entrepreneurial journey and also outlines what Salads Made Fresh have done to pivot into home delivery in the COVID-19 world.

Warren Maris of Magnus Business Advisers and Accountants – In a follow up to last month’s program, Warren provides an update on the range of financial business support programs available to businesses affected by COVID-19.

Colin Kinner of Startup Onramp - Colin gives us some useful insights into how Startups, or for that matter, any business, could and should address the ‘What problem are you solving’ question.

Andrew Curnow of Miit – Our featured startup this month, Andrew tells us about Miit.co and the need for a ‘Social Utility’ to combat social isolation and loneliness as opposed to yet another social media platform.

In a change to our usual focus on Startups, we will be looking at the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on our local business community and exploring ideas and inspiration to keep our business community thriving.

Joining co-hosts Sharyn Doolan of Bay FM and John Burkett of Startup Redlands are a fantastic selection of guests;
- Rodney Winkleman of Elysium Restaurant & Bar will tell us his Entrepreneurs Story and offer some tips for those in the hospitality sector.
- Steve Baxter our local 'shark' and former QLD Chief Entrepreneur will give is his thoughts and ideas.
- Warren Maris - Business Adviser with some specific info on the government support programs available.
- Mark Jones of Your Digital Solution will be looking at things from the marketing perspective.
- Innovation Ecosystem expert Tony Wheeler will be telling us about some different COVID-19 response programs he has underway.
- Our featured local startup will be Way We Do with co-founder Jacqui Jones.