A second evening at Macquarie University Business School, this time speaking with another cohort of entrepreneurship students at the invitation of Dr Alena Soboleva.
Having shared more of my entrepreneurial journey in a recent post, I will resist a big rehash. I was amazed at how much ground can be covered through a free-form conversation rather than a formal presentation.
We explored the realities of building a non-linear career: recognising opportunities, adapting to technological and market change, taking survivable risks, developing a radar for people, learning from failure and allowing seemingly unrelated experiences to compound over time.
The students’ questions took us further into resilience, personal boundaries, creativity, relationships and the role of AI. Alena also helped connect my lived experience with the evening’s broader discussion about pricing and value proposition.
One recurring idea was that customers rarely buy only the product, service or hour of labour. They may also be buying judgement, trust, continuity, confidence and reduced risk. Understanding that broader value is often the difference between building a sustainable business and joining the proverbial “race to the bottom”.
Thank you to Alena and the students for another engaging and generous conversation.
More than just an opportunity to impart a little hard-earned wisdom to the next generation of entrepreneurs, it became a deeper moment of reflection on where I have been, what I have become and where I may be heading next.
After all these years, it genuinely feels as though I am just getting started.
