“
Find a
way to say
YES, rather
than a
reason to
say No
At 28 I am really only at the start of my entrepreneurial
journey and there are so many things left to achieve. I look
to some of this country’s most amazing entrepreneurs (Rod
Drury among them) and the list of ‘what’s next’ is very long.
In terms of our businesses – for Au Pair Link I want to
continue growing and revolutionising the early childhood
market. I have a strong belief in home-based early childhood
education and I think the industry has so much potential and
growth opportunity.
For My Food Bag, I believe the opportunity for our business
growth is exponential and we have some key projects to
achieve and deliver over the next period – and I can’t wait for
the challenge.
What was the most painful lesson you’ve
had to learn in business? Have you
experienced any bad times?
I think every business person has experienced bad times and
many painful lessons. Frankly I think those instances are
the ones that make you a better business person and make
you stronger. In both our businesses we have had some real
challenges to overcome and I think that the true measure of
you as a person and the resilience of your team is determined
by how you manage those tough times. People don’t judge you
by how things are going when it’s going ‘swimmingly well’ –
they judge you by what happens when it doesn’t.
What motivates and drives you to keep
innovating and building new businesses?
I think the entrepreneurial gene means that you are
continually looking to improve things and innovate. I have
recently become more involved in Au Pair Link after having a
From left an extended Banks, Tim Alpe,
huge focus on My Food Bag forto right: Johnperiod. Coming Dan Alpe
back in to Au Pair Link, I have realised that the team has
really missed me. The key thing I noticed to be missing in Au
Pair Link when I wasn’t as present was the ability to say ‘Yes’.
What I mean by that is that often when businesses grow
you put processes and systems in place to support that
growth. Those are essential to create and maintain a high
performing business. However what sets the mark of a true
entrepreneurial business is the ability to be nimble and
respond fast. My motto is ‘Find a way to say YES, rather than
a reason to say No’ as well as ‘Think BIG’.
Entrepreneurs often have a crazy idea and instead of
dismissing it they say - ‘Yes I can do that’ and they often look
at a market and see a huge opportunity. An example of this is
My Food Bag, I knew nothing about the food or distribution
industry but saw the concept and fell in love with it.
Instantaneously I knew that if I didn’t do something I would
be very disappointed with myself. So I found a way of saying
yes – which in this case meant involving key stakeholders to
execute this business idea and frankly we haven’t looked back.
Many people put off starting a business
because they don’t have any money. Does
it really take money to make money?
I’m not sure many people start businesses because they don’t
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