Mike Casey :: Random thoughts on Startups

A couple of nights ago I had the pleasure of attending a Pushstart Q&A session. For those of you who don’t know, Pushstart is the newest startup accelerator to hit the Sydney scene. Simply put, startups who make the cut get 20k and a valuation of 250k.

I am very excited about being a mentor on this program and helping the guys who make it to build kickass websites that get lots of traffic and convert that into revenue.

I am amazed at how far the Sydney startup scene has come, and am even more excited about where it is going.

Also, Pushstart founder Kim Heras is now on the Fishburners board, meaning we will be working very closely together to make sure the two programs achieve great things for the Australian tech startup community.

If you are keen, you should apply! Applications shut this Friday!

The New Zealand election looming and to no surprise the “brain drain” rhetoric is rearing its head yet again.

It seems that New Zealand has a chip on the shoulder when it comes to its big brother Australia. Lower taxes, higher incomes, better weather, better jobs, better life, hotter chicks blah blah blah blah blah.

I have been in Australia for three years now and have formed the opinion that the “brain drain” is a petty argument touted by those who don’t have the will to go out and experience the rest of the world for themselves.

New Zealand is geographically isolated, so its no wonder that we want to venture out, explore and learn. New Zealand is tiny market by world standards, so its no wonder that our most driven graduates leave our shores. Why why why would you ever want to stop that from happening?

Let them go, experience the world and come back to New Zealand better citizens.

New Zealand, the problem is not that your ‘brains’ leave, the problem is you do shit all to get them to come back.

I had the great chance to be on a panel of discussion to launch Vivid Sydney earlier this week @ the Opera House. One of the big discussion points was around what defines a Startup from just an idea and a Business from a startup?. From what I remember, here are a few different perspectives.

When does an idea become a startup?

• The day you incorporate
• The day you quit your job
• The day you take a positive step towards creating something
• The day you form a team
• An idea is a startup
• The day it is invested in

When does an startup become a business?

• The day you spend money
• The day you make money
• The day you hit positive cash flow
• The day you hire
• The day you pay tax on profit
• 10 or more people
• They day it is invested in

I guess, being an entrepreneur you can choose whatever definition you like. Do what you want brah 

So if you are a tech entrepreneur in Sydney the chances are you would have heard of, if not visited Fishburners @ 608 Harris St in Ultimo. Fishburners is a major extension on our previous co-working environment which seats up to 55 entrepreneurs across around 30 startups.

So far it has been seriously kickass, and I have met a great new bunch of entreprenuers with some great ideas and energy. I firmly believe that when you put this all in one room you dramatically increase productivity, innovation and success.

If you are a tech entrepreneur and are interested in our space make sure you head to fishburners.org and apply

Sydney has been buzzing with the sale of Spreets to Yahoo7 last week, and good on the founders who managed to stick it and flick it in under a year. 

The media has (yet again) got on their old bandwagon with the ‘overnight success story’ and it annoys me that people often get sucked into this bad measurement of success as well. 

Entrepreneurship is not a race, its about completion. Its not a 100 metre sprint, but a 100k run. Sure some get to the end of the game much faster than others, but just to get to the end is the real achievement.

Its not just about the money, its also about the creation, innovation, lifestyle and passion that comes with it.

Well done to the Spreets founders, you guys have really done the Sydney tech-startup scene proud and here is to doing it all again soon :)

When people start companies they always look at the financials.

What I have learned over the last couple of years is that the real benefit of a startup is far greater. Its FREEDOM

Freedom? Most people want to make millions so they have time to do what they want to do. Well all I want to do is start companies.

Bring on 2011.

It was not long ago that I saw a presentation by my friend Stuart Cook on systemisation, and how it can increase the value of your company by simply allowing you to deliver more. One excellent point he made was to get into the habit of systemising things early, when they are not complex and then grow them organically as your business develops.

Simple diagrams are a great way to start, especially when it is time to get employees or freelancers to help deliver what you promised. The better the systems, the higher your profit multiplier.

It came to my attention that I was spouting the same old rhetoric of “One day I…” or “Once I have more time…” or “Once I have more money…” as an excuse to put of the things I really want to do in life on hold. It’s a shame that people have to live there lives in such a linear fashion, of only starting to live once they feel they have achieved. You fall into the same old life pattern

1. Born
2. School
3. High School
4. University
5. Work
6. Marrage
7. Family
8. Work
9. Retire
10. Die

Screw that.

I am going to get the things I want done, done now, while I am still learning to be a good entrepreneur and hopefully run more companies in the future as part of a an overall lifestyle.

First thing, I am running a marathon next year. The Great Ocean road one to be exact, and the Gold Coast one if I get injured and have to postpone.

I also started paddle boarding, which I think is the coolest sport ever. 

Money means nothing when you are on your death bed. Make sure you have the experiences so you can accept the fact when its about to happen!

The poorest man would not part with health for money, but the richest would gladly part with all their money for health. -

Charles Caleb Colton

Okay so I have always been a skeptic of the whole “self-help industry”, but when Jack Delosa got me a free ticket to go and Tony Robbins I kind of had to go and see what it was all about.

I started off with my arms folded. By the end of it I was jumping around like one of those evangelical maniacs you see in the States. The man oozes charisma to send, even the most sceptical, down a journey of pure excitement about the same old rhetoric you would know doubt have seen him use in the late night info-mercials. 

There was a model like girl sitting behind us, and all I could concentrate on was Tony Robbins.

I learnt a lot. Mainly around adjusting your blue print: ones expectation of what their life should be like, to be realistic.

One of the big things that I got out of it was that people want to be rich because they believe being rich will make them happy. People focus too much on the fiscal benefits of running and owning a business, but really, the most successful businesses are the ones that make their owners and founders happy. 

Smash it!

The hacker culture consistently is what makes great startups… Hackers - not to be confused with crackers who break into systems - have the intelligence to understand trade-offs and what truly matters. If you are a perfectionist, you will never succeed as a start-up entrepreneur. - Elias Bizannes.

Full SMH Aricle here