I’m not sure whether entrepreneurs are born or made, but for the last 20 years, I’ve called myself one. Here's my story...Hired into a global telecom giant after university, I was captivated by new products that changed the way people communicated. I later learned that was called innovation. I sought out small projects with big potential. Preferring to champion things like telemedicine that could improve access to healthcare. I later learned that was called an impact intrepreneur. I was sent on two expat assignments as an employee. Those experiences in new continents birthed in me the desire for travel and an appreciation of different peoples & cultures. Somewhere the seeds of running my own company were sown. I can’t exactly point to when and where. In 2001 I left with the goal of ‘starting my own company’.I succeed. (Eventually.) Bootstrapping a two-person company into one of the largest virtual network operators in North America. I sold that when I kept having to solve the same problems, year after year. Then I moved to Europe (in part) to grow as a global entrepreneur. I had founded, grown and sold a small startup with global reach. How hard would it be to repeat that? It turns out…quite hard. The world had changed. I had to unlearn old ways of building products and embrace the world of Lean Startup and Agile. In my exploration and development company I brought 3 telecom projects to the MVP/pilot stage. But the enduring result was the systems thinking, decision-making frameworks & processes for rapidly moving from idea to investment decision. I owe a lot to my mentor (Ash Maurya) who taught me that:- time is the scarcest resource. - Speed of learning, our only competitive advantage. - The secret to success: being surrounded by customers & their problems. I’m passionate about bringing new products to international markets that make a difference. I write about that, and try to help others in their journey, in my substack newsletter. By the way, I've always believed that CEOs & entrepreneurs must know how to sell: Their vision, company, or products. I see sales as a foundational skill set. Finance & economics, also. Oh...I learned there is no such thing as a 'global entrepreneur'. I've become an advocate of globalization and the opportunities in international expansion.I’ve recently discovered the title of “Venture Builder”. I think I’ve been one for a while. ;-) I’m always looking for opportunities to help companies discover, validate and build new business. Please get in touch at onglobalventures.com
Listed skills include Leadership, Customer Development, Presentation Skills, Business Acquisition, and 58 others.