It was the 9th of the 9th ’99 when I walked into the headmaster’s study and handed in my letter of resignation… Twenty years ago today. It was a big step. I felt I had to give this crazy new tech startup a go, and it was before we had kids, so felt it was...Read More

I was speaking at a business breakfast the other day, and the subject of the morning was ‘creating an enterprise culture in WA‘. With our long history in successful resources and other entrepreneurial ventures, one might think that we had a great enterprise culture already. And we do. If you want to develop a mine,...Read More

In the fourth post of this series, I recall 20 years ago when we decided on a name for our startup, and the issues it then caused for the next decade… Before the idea, there was context, an unforgettable comedic event before we talked to people we trusted about our idea. Now, a few weeks...Read More

In the third post of this series, I recall 20 years ago when conversations with various people massaged ‘an idea for a business’ into a business itself … Before the idea was born, there was context. Then – spookily – an unforgettable comedic event would herald the idea. Now, the idea needs testing. Could it...Read More

In the second post of this series, I recall 20 years ago when an evening with Dame Edna led to a memorable phone message, and a dotcom idea … Before the idea was born, there was context. A back story. A breeding ground for an idea, with a few push factors that made me look...Read More

'It was 20 years ago today' the Beatles famously sang on Sergeant Pepper in 1967. Well, more than half a century later I'm reminiscing and musing about 1999, 20 years ago...Read More

Watching the fall out from the 2016 Brexit vote has been met with increasing alarm and bewilderment. No matter what side of the debate you are on. The increasingly entrenched tribal views of each side of the Brexit question have added to the mess. No one is listening anymore. Hard, extreme core groups are facing...Read More

Valuing a tech startup is one of those ‘how long is a piece of string’ questions (which is no help at all), but it’s still an important factor in trying to raise money for your early stage venture… Naturally, both sides will look at valuation in opposite ways. The plucky founder will want to give...Read More

In the recent Business News corporate finance report for calendar year 2018, I added up over $9.58B worth of equity capital raisings for WA companies, across 548 deals. That’s $17M+ per deal. And this does not count another $41B+ in M&A (merger and acquisition) activity. How much of the capital raising money went to early...Read More

A few days ago I was trying to get me some car insurance, having bought a little run around Toyota for the eldest child, who is now learning to drive… So, there I was looking up the usual car insurance companies, and comparison sites, and seeing what kind of a deal I could get for...Read More