Both women bring world-class expertise from leading consumer brands; Emily has created a devoted community in Glossier, while Mandy is a veteran of multinational brands, focused on sustainable growth and financial discipline. 

“I’ve been lucky to know the Allbirds founders for years, and have watched as they’ve created a purpose driven, environmentally minded company with truly differentiated products. Getting a chance to work with them more closely is a dream, and I’m excited to be a peer and partner as they evolve their brand and build a category-defining business.” – Emily Weiss, founder + CEO of Glossier.

These two additions round out Allbirds’s Board of Directors to eight experts helping to inform and direct as the brand prepares for the next stage of growth, guided by advisors with an eclectic background and deep expertise.

Existing board members include: 

• Neil Blumenthal – CEO + Co-founder, Warby Parker 
• Nancy Green – President + CEO, Old Navy
• Dan Levitan – Co-founder, Maveron 
• Dick Boyce – Senior Advisor, Altamont Capital Partners
• Tim Brown – Co-founder and Co-CEO, Allbirds
• Joey Zwillinger – Co-founder and Co-CEO, Allbirds

But space is expensive. That’s why we’re offering up a solution for one lucky startup as part of the Race for Space competition.

Here’s what’s up for grabs: 12 months rent-free in the flexible, high-tech, industry-connected and beautifully-designed B:HIVE, as well as furniture for all employees, internet connection and usage, management by the B:HIVE concierge team of all the day-to-day office management business owners have to deal with (allowing the winner to really focus on their business and not have to worry about their office overheads and operation), and the chance to make important business connections with other clever companies that you can’t really put a price on. Oh, and bragging rights are kind of a given.

You’ll also get PR support from the pros at Lily & Louis. Attention is oxygen for startups and these folks will make sure you get it.

You’ll also receive editorial coverage in Idealog. You’re reading this, so you already know our audience consists of some very well-connected Kiwi entrepreneurs and business owners who are always looking out for the next big thing and know a good investment when they see one.

So, how do you go about entering the competition? Thankfully, it’s pretty simple.

If you’re a business between six and 24 months old with ideally fewer than six employees, an established business plan and you are ready to accelerate, all you need to do is upload a video between 30 and 60 seconds long to the campaign website, raceforspace.idealog.co.nz. We want you to showcase your brand, service or product in action. 

There’s also an online registration form to fill out. In it, you’ll be asked to provide your dream for your business, what steps have you taken so far, what makes you different, how being in the B:HIVE would help your business and what success will look like 12 and 24 months from now. These answers will be public (we also need a small amount of confidential information) and the six top entries will go through to the next round, where they will pitch their business idea in front of a panel of judges including Smales Farm’s Greg Smale, Zuru’s Anna Mowbray, Unfiltered’s Jake Millar, Untouched World’s Peri Drysdale, Vend’s Vaughan Rowsell, Idealog’s Elly Strang and My Food Bag’s Cecilia Robinson. Bonus points, naturally, for creativity.

So how can you stand out from the crowd? Greg Smale has some tips.

“It would be great if they could show us what their aspiration for their business is and what steps they have taken to achieving this. We’re particularly interested in people who are disrupting a category or taking a new approach to solving challenges or improving how things are done. The trick will be to express things simply and clearly in a memorable and compelling way. It would be great to see how their idea provides real benefits to consumers or businesses.”

The winner will join an ever-growing list of innovative companies that are already calling B:HIVE home.

“The B:HIVE’s current 60-plus tenants are a combination of companies with between one and 150 staff, sharing breakout and meeting rooms and facilities across each of the four business floors while enjoying their own dedicated areas,” he says. “The types of tenants that find the B:HIVE appealing are those that want a productive and vibrant environment for their employees. Staff attraction and retention is an important issue for business owners so if we can assist with dealing with this challenge then that’s fantastic.”

The building was designed by BVN and Jasmax and the brand-new hospitality precinct was designed by Paul Izzard Design. Smale says businesses that are growing rapidly find the B:HIVE hugely beneficial as they are able to ‘adjust’ the office space requirements up or down as their business evolves. Added to that flexibility, furniture, fitout, utilities, concierge and security services and cleaning are all included in the rental, as well as access to all the shared amenities and facilities throughout the building.

“Companies aren’t locked in to traditional leasing arrangements, so they avoid the substantial business interruption and capital expenditure usually associated with having to change premises. It derisks business growth – something that any business would find appealing, especially startups.”

Not only that, there are also regular events and activations in the vicinity, including food trucks, BBQ kits and outdoor movies.

The entire Smales Farm development is changing rapidly and Smale says the aim is to increase the diversity of the businesses there until it becomes a full, mixed-use destination. A number of big corporates have already moved their offices to the North Shore location and up-and-coming startups are seeing the benefits too.

“These days technology is enabling people to work from wherever they want, something that’s revolutionising how we work, especially amongst millennials. Spending 80 hours a year stuck in traffic is not high on their priority list. They’re seeking workplaces that entail easy access, a range of transport solutions, open green spaces, events, activations, good amenity and hospitality that’s vibrant and community focused.”

So, as you can see, The B:HIVE has all the things a hungry startup needs to scale-up – and wind-down. And if you enter your business, you could be part of it.

• Entries close on May 18. Head to raceforspace.idealog.co.nz for more information and to enter your business. 

No matter what you call it, it’s uncomfortable to think about. After all, most of us don’t like to leave things, especially if it’s something we care about and have poured our heart and soul into – possible over many, many years or even decades.

But it is a key part of business, succession planning. When it comes time, it’s best to have a plan in place – and this is coming from people who’ve been there before.

Steve O’Connor, of Flick Electric Co., says it’s critical to think about roles for founders and key staffers over time – as well as the company’s purpose. “It’s about thinking what the company needs to succeed.”

To “find” a successor, O’Connor says, it’s important to think about what skills are needed immediately, and the direction the company or organisation is going in.

Louise Webster, founder of the New Zealand Innovation Council, says two things are important. “You need to line up your strategic goals and your strategic plans with the organisation you’re selling to,” she explains. “The other thing that is not quite so well-known is you really have to think about your people and teams. Because culture is a really huge part of it.”

Pushpay’s Sarah Elder says her company handled more than $2 billion worth of transactions last year, making it one of Aotearoa’s fastest-growing companies. That level of growth makes succession planning difficult, she explains. “We’ve had to be very deliberate with the people that we bring on board and the processes that we put in place. The ramifications of getting those things wrong would be magnified down the line.”

Elder also stresses the importance of knowing the capabilities of team members – and sometimes having to make tough calls about who to keep onboard. “Just because someone is the right person to grow a team’s revenue from a million dollars to ten million doesn’t mean they’re the right person to grow that team from ten million to a hundred million.”

Flick’s O’Connor agrees, but says a lot of that could be impacted by how far into the future you may be looking at for succession. “Try and look as far enough ahead as you can to get a sense of what the business is going to look like and what the business is going to need.”

He adds that it’s critical to find people from within the company and to always be flexible.

Webster adds more advice. “Think about who the business is getting ready for, what that timeframe looks like, and make sure it’s realistic,” she explains. “Think about that right from day one so that you can plan ahead.”

And all three of them – Webster, O’Connor and Elder – agree on the most important thing of all to remember not only in succession planning, but in every aspect of doing business. “It’s all about people.

Although these three innovators come from very different backgrounds and have very different businesses, they share many of the same traits. To watch the video, download your FREE booklet and get our Innovation Heroes’ ‘Top Tips’ go to innovationcouncil.org.nz.

We all know the answer to making more money for your business or to successfully commercialise your idea is to export. But given the mind-boggling number of complex rules and regulations surrounding trade between each of the nearly 200 nations on Earth, let’s also cut right to the chase: it’s paralysingly daunting.

Wine Grenade co-founder Jonathan Boswell can relate. “There’s 7.7 billion litres of wine that needs to be matured every year,” he says. “But most of it is not in New Zealand. So, we knew we were going to need a global strategy from day one. And that meant we were really going to have to think about distribution channels and how we were going to get into those markets. That was always going to be the biggest challenge – finding the right distribution channels.”

Springfree Trampoline managing director Doug Hill says in order to find those new markets, there’s one “building block” that helps to make it possible. “Sales is always the hardest thing in terms of building your channels,” he says. “We were forced very early to find some low-cost manufacturers that weren’t available locally. We had to get into an Asian manufacturing slot, and that’s a real hard nut to crack.”

ecostore managing director Pablo Kraus says it’s important to maintain the highest possible standards, no matter what market you go into. “Having such a large range of products from cleaning to laundry to personal care, some of our struggles in China were in personal care due to animal testing (animal testing is required when selling in China),” he says. “So I’d say one of the biggest challenges is having a high standard and sticking to it.”

But he says there’s another important thing, perhaps the most important of all: getting to know your customers and partners.

“A lot of people want to order our products, but you don’t want to rush,” Kraus says. “It’s about getting to know them. You really can’t beat going into the market and meeting people. It’s all about building that trust up so you know you’ve got a partner on the ground. And you have to continue building that relationship. You can’t go once. Keep going back.”

Wine Grenade’s Boswell agrees. “Understanding the market and spending time in the markets early so that you can build relationships is really important,” he says. “Get to know the people who are there, get to know the industry, and recognise that it takes time to build those relationships. Things don’t happen quickly when you’re moving into a new market. You have to spend time there.”

Springfree Trampoline’s Hill says relationships are incredibly important and take time. It’s important to understand the rules and regulations within the market you plan on going into. “If you’ve got unique product attributes, make sure that the markets you’re going into aren’t going to create any unexpected problems around that,” he says.”

Forging strong relationships, understanding the market, and having high standards – important things to do no matter where you plan on taking your business.

Although these three innovators come from very different backgrounds and have very different businesses, they share many of the same traits. To watch the video, download your FREE booklet and get our Innovation Heroes’ ‘Top Tips’ go to innovationcouncil.org.nz.

You bet.

Jessica Venning-Bryan, chief marketing officer of Flick Electric Co., says such a challenge can be overcome through smart strategy. “First and foremost, you need a capital strategy that enables the business to maintain momentum,” she explains. “It’s no good grinding to a halt because you’ve run out of cash and can’t move until you raise more. The next sale is always easier than the last so keeping that momentum up is critical. It can mean that it feels like you’re always raising money, but I think it’s a good thing to be spending lots of time engaging with the investment community in the early stages.”

Banqer co-founder Kendall Flutey says something similar. “Those seeking to scale their business first need to define what scale looks like to them,” she explains. “This might seem obvious but there are a bunch of faux scale metrics that can often deceive. Things like raising capital, new team members, and good PR may be contributors or by-products of scale, but often don’t represent scale itself. Decide what scale truly looks like, not just potential symptoms.

“For us, true scale is user growth and to be honest it wasn’t easy to achieve this off the bat. We didn’t set a framework conducive to scale. We had our eyes firmly set on the first acquisition, then the first ten, and so on, but our model broke down as the magnitudes increased. So another way to make it easier to scale business is to have a path to scale from day one. You don’t have to build or implement these systems on day one, but have a plan at least. For example, if you’re a SaaS company it may be having a plan to swap your server stack at 20,000 users as you realise performance will be an issue at that level.”

ARANZ Medical’s Bruce Davey says the biggest challenge for his company is distribution. “It takes money to expand.”

But Flutey says this can be overcome. “Another small gesture that goes a long way to truly scaling is to measure everything,” she explains. “The old saying ‘what gets measured gets done’ rings true. The more you can quantify and measure, the more meaningful data and metrics you’ll have to understand how and why you’re scaling this week. This can help drive more efficient scaling next week and so on. Essentially your journey to growth and true scale should be quantifiable and comprehensible. Not saying the trends will always be in your favour, but you need to be aware of them to correct them.”

ARANZ Medical’s Davey says it all comes down to passion. “Make sure you choose an area you’re passionate about. It’s going to be a lot harder than you think. Make sure you’re passionate about it.”

Venning-Bryan says it’s also about anticipating what may come next. “I think you have to invest ahead of the curve on the team front. Don’t go silly, but like with capital you can’t afford to slow down because you don’t have enough people, or people with the right skills, to execute the plan. It’s tempting when you’re on a shoestring to try and do everything yourself, but it’s often more efficient to hire specialists rather than muddle along doing a bunch of things badly. It produces better results, and frees you up to focus on the big strategic things.”

Flutey believes one thing is more important than everything else. “Above all the best offensive tactic to scale is to have a product that people want to share, and providing them with a mechanism to do so,” she explains. “We do this both in app, and through our static pages. These channels correlate. So if you don’t have a product, idea, or business that is compelling enough for people to share with others, see if this can be addressed first and foremost as this is certainly the cheapest most effective way to scale.”

Sounds like some pretty sage advice for entrepreneurs wishing to scale and take that next step.

Although these three innovators come from very different backgrounds and have very different businesses, they share many of the same traits. To watch the video, download your FREE booklet and get our Innovation Heroes’ ‘Top Tips’ go to innovationcouncil.org.nz.

AUT professor and Kode Biotech CEO Stephen Henry says finding the right talent is one of the most important things for any business. “The best way to find the right talent is know who that person is, preferably by interacting with them for a long time before employing them. If you are unable to do this then I like a very informal interview process where prospective employees also meet my team (without the CEO present), and only if the team feels the person is a fit with our culture if we hire them. Trust in the ‘feeling’ you get within the first few minutes.”

Weirdly’s Dale Clareburt has a similar approach. “As a startup, we’re often looking for people with a really specific combo of skills and attributes to complement our team. Our hiring decisions also have to be made really quickly so we’re pretty much always ‘on’ when it comes to sourcing talent.

But attracting talent isn’t enough – you also have to keep and retain that talent. Toni Moyes, COO of technology company 8i, says it’s always a challenge. “A big challenge that your team faces when you’re in a fast-growing startup is keeping the culture vibrant and evolving. We went from a handful of people in a room to a 75-person, multi-national organisation really fast. And it actually takes a lot of effort to keep that culture cohesive and healthy as you go through that journey.” Knowing and living your purpose must play a key role in this.

Clareburt adds: “We put a huge emphasis on hiring the right people in the first place – hence the emphasis on making sure someone’s a good fit with our values and purpose, as well as having the right skills. We’ve found those people are more inclined to stick around longer. The tricky bit, is that in an early stage startup, the talent you need today isn’t necessarily the same talent you need tomorrow. We’re big fans of the idea that people will grow in and out of the roles you have available, it may mean they move on to other opportunities but if we’ve nurtured those relationships well and the purpose-fit was good to begin with, they’ll often find ways to come back.”

Henry also is in agreement. “If you recruit an individual compatible with your organisation’s culture then retaining them is not so difficult, as they will want to be part of the organisation. As a company we appreciate that community and life outside of work are important, and if we think about each other’s needs with care, honesty, and respect, then together we will advance each other’s interests.

Henry highlights the importance of skills. “We think of skills as specific to the role – stuff like being experienced with machine learning systems or specific coding languages,” he says. “That’s obviously important, but for us it’s not as crucial as a good fit with our values and purpose and having the characteristics you need to complement our teams.”

Weirdly’s Clareburt says it all comes down to people complementing each other. “We are a blend of scientists and business people, each with different skill sets and paradigms on perceived value,” she explains. “Specific skill sets aside the type of person I look for is someone who will fit with our culture, and is passionate about we can do and achieve. I don’t pre-select on the basis of academic qualifications and prefer people with life experiences and a positive attitude. I am more than happy to develop specific skills if the underlying talent is present. There is a lot of unrealised talent out there, particularly in women who have curtailed their careers to become mothers.

“We look for people who are not afraid to fail, yet always strive for success and personal development. Integrity, honesty, and respect are the foundation of everything we do.”

Although these three innovators come from very different backgrounds and have very different businesses, they share many of the same traits. To watch the video, download your FREE booklet and get our Innovation Heroes’ ‘Top Tips’ go to innovationcouncil.org.nz.

Jennifer Boggiss, of pure vanilla brand Heilala Vanilla, says her business first expanded by hopping across the Tasman. “The first export market was Australia for Heilala,” she explains. “Having a similar food culture to NZ made it the logical choice along with distribution channels synergies. Since establishing in Australia in 2009 this is now our largest market with great distribution in both the two main supermarkets and a national food service distribution for Chefs.

“Other export markets then followed; I truly believe in ‘sales builds sales’ and through seeing our product in market in NZ and Australia we received enquiries for other markets.

Enztec general manager Iain McMillan also emphasises the importance of identifying a target market. “When Enztec started in 1992 the focus was on being a medical device company,” McMillan says. “In the first years that meant that we did all manner of medical device types as well as anything else that would pay the bills.  Then the decision was made by the founders to focus on being a medical device company, and cease all non-medical work.  At the same time, we had the good fortune of getting a large orthopaedic contract, and from there over the next few years we gained more and more experience in the orthopaedic space, which was where the founders experience also lay, so we gradually did less and less other medical devices and became the company we are today that is exclusively an orthopaedic device company that focuses on instruments (the delivery systems for implants effectively).

“As a result, we identified our markets through hard slog, trying things, generally succeeding, but certainly with some bumps on the way.”

David Darling, of Pacific Edge, says identifying a target market was particular challenging because his cancer diagnostics company is so specialised. “It’s an interesting situation for us in the US,” he says. “They’re what we call complex customers. A complex relationship between the patient, the urologist, and the healthcare payer.”

But aside from identifying a market, almost any entrepreneur can attest that another hurdle to overcome is testing products/innovations within a market; Heilala’s Boggiss offers tips based on her personal experiences. As part of building a brand in new markets you need to build a network (which takes time) and this network assists with testing prototypes for the market and providing feedback. Jennifer says “In the US we have undertaken formal consumer insight research to test our product offering. However, in smaller export markets we have simply utilised in market networks and influencers; including chefs and foodies.

McMillan says something similar. “While identifying our markets and refining our business, we are fortunate that NZ and Australia have a large number of highly capable orthopaedic surgeons who are at the forefront of technology and techniques,” he says. “These surgeons are often exploring and thinking about new ways to improve their patients outcomes.  As one of the very few local companies working in this space, it has meant that we’re able to work with these surgeons to develop and test their ideas.  This in turn gave us exposure to international device companies, and they were able to see the solutions we were creating, and ultimately take these to market internationally for us.

The third and often most important focus for getting market ready is to connect to your customers.McMillan has some tips. “A big part of what makes this possible is the way we work with our customers,” he says. “We spend a lot of time communicating with customers to ensure they never see our geographical location as a barrier.  We are also very open and honest, and ensure if we make a promise we deliver. Finally, we try to form lasting relationships with customers, and don’t just focus on a sale or a project, regardless of the size of the project– we’ve found this makes the business more enjoyable for us, and something customers value.  In many cases the small ‘love job’ we did for a client have become our biggest success.

Boggiss’ views are similar. “Connecting with customers is critical to build brand recognition and value in export markets,” she explains. “To do this you need a laser focus on who your customer is – then profile; their habits, lifestyle, preferences and the communities they are part of. You need to understand what problem you are solving. Social media is a great tool but to be effective you need to have a very clear customer profile and understand them. Then you can effectively and efficiently engage on the right platform and generate content that is relevant.”

Although these three innovators come from very different backgrounds and have very different businesses, they share many of the same traits. To watch the video and download your FREE booklet, go to innovationcouncil.org.nz.

Sponsored by3M.

Entrepreneurs, innovators and business owners all have their own experiences to share that are very valuable to those going through R&D and Funding, as they provide a different perspective from trained business advisors. They share their real-life experiences, whereas advisors help you develop a process and hit key milestones with good processes and methodologies. Both are equally valuable in different ways, at different times.

Sunfed Meats – a company that produces plant-based meat substitutes – chief executive Shama Lee says the challenges of commercialisation should not be overlooked.

“Our biggest challenge that we are living through currently is actually commercialisation,” she says.

To overcome that, she says companies need to persevere through challenges by remaining true to what they’re about. “Focus on the product. That’s your foundation. You nail that, [and] everything else should follow. Never give up. There’s no such thing as failures, only outcomes. Learn, adapt, and try again.”

Being a storyteller might seem like a sales tactic, but Ligar chief executive Nigel Slaughter says that’s also crucial in order for investors to understand your journey and your vision for what you want your product or service to become. “Tell your story as if you’re doing a movie trailer,” he says. “The exercise of putting it into movie trailer format really focuses you on what the value is, not just ‘here’s some needs, here’s some benefits, and here’s some cool things that we can do.’ Focusing on the value of it is really powerful for attracting good investment money.”

Slaughter says identifying experts and potential business partners is crucial. “The biggest challenge is just getting them and finding the right companies who have the same burning need as we have.”

Slaughter says it all comes down to how much you care about your idea – and just how far you’ll go to bring it to life.

“It’s got to be personal,” he says. “You’ve got to have the belief. You’ve got to be able to stand in front of a room and say why you believe in it. Otherwise, it’s just another idea that you’ll get bored of once you come up with the next idea. I’ve got a message in my mind saying ‘look, there’s people around the world dying because of arsenic in the water. You’ve got a technology that can stop that.’ That keeps you going. No pressure.”

Another idea, he says: emphasise successes. “There’s nothing more impressive than successes. And the successes don’t have to be big. You can focus on doing some small things that prove that the technology works, rather than just aiming for the end goal and plodding on until that [is achieved]. For investors and other people looking on, if you can just show step-by-step improvement and getting something done, that’s really, really important.”

Lisa Johnston of Volpara Solutions – which helps detect breast cancer early, thus saving lives – stresses the importance of searching for experts. It’s also important, she says, to not only look for the funding you can get, but the funding you want.

You also need to be inspired, she says. “What inspired me to stay with Volpara was the fact that I can directly impact people’s lives, in particular women’s lives, through taking good scientific research, presenting it in a way that people have never seen before to improve breast cancer screening. It’s also really great to be delivering information that is empowering women with more knowledge about their own health and also to our customers to provide the best quality breast screening service to women they can.”

Once you’ve got your money, you need to innovate – and to do that, you need to spend money.

R&D might seem like a chore when you’re desperate to get your ideas out there, however it’s incredibly important to take the time and invest in R&D.

So, how can you fund R&D while simultaneously growing your business? One ingredient needed for success, Johnston says, is communication. “To get a really good product, you need really good communication across teams, even in research. Communicating your story to an audience so that everyone can understand the importance of R&D funding for you [is crucial].”

Embracing change is also crucial, she says. “I used to work in academia. I did a PhD. My research felt important, but I didn’t feel like I was impacting human life or any individuals. Working at Volpara, I know that we’re directly helping women in detecting breast cancer early.”

Like Johnston, Slaughter stresses the importance of teams working together. “Get individuals on the R&D team working together rather than as individuals.”

But there’s something else that’s important, Slaughter says: perseverance. And he says there are plenty of examples of perseverance we can all learn lessons from. He says he’s particularly inspired by journalists who doggedly pursue the truth, even if it comes at a great personal price and even if everyone else thinks they’re wrong. “It’s about making the choice to make the world a better place,” he says. “It’s that tenacious, never-say-die attitude.”

That perseverance, he says, has translated into his work with Ligar. “At first it was simply an amazing technology with the chance of exploring an uncharted market. Then it hit me that it would give everyone involved the chance to make a difference, to clean up pollution, to remove toxins, to extract value from waste, to help make medicines… to improve lives and perhaps even to save lives. That’s pretty damned inspiring.”

But is perseverance enough? Sunfed’s Lee says it’s also important not to undersell yourself – and to think globally. “Aim big. Have a grand vision. And be born global. So raise [funding] according to that.”

She says it all goes back to never giving up. “If you’re doing something that hasn’t been done before, there’s going to be a lot of people telling you it’s not possible,” she says. “Ignore them. Listen to your inner voice, stay the course, and persevere.”

Although these three innovators come from very different backgrounds and have very different businesses, they share many of the same traits. To watch the video, download your FREE booklet and get our Innovation Heroes’ ‘Top Tips on R&D and Funding’ go to innovationcouncil.org.nz.

Sponsored by AUT. 

For Genevieve Knights, director of Genevieve’s, inspiration came in the form of a close friend.

“I have a long-time friend I went to school with who had some inspiring words for me,” she explains. “It helped me to change my direction in life. I was writing cookbooks and not selling as many as I would have liked. I did kind of know the jig was up, as reality TV stars were the only ones really selling books at that time. She sat me down one day and told me to go back to cooking for people. She said to me: ‘we just want you to cook for us.’ I will never forget it.”

After the life-changing conversation with her friend, she stopped writing altogether and moved into food manufacturing.

“While most would think I would go back to chef work in restaurants after that advice, I had done 23 years in hospitality and was tired of those hours and work conditions … It is important to persevere but also adjust and adapt to market expectation if you want to succeed. Sometimes that means taking one on the chin and moving on so you can move forward and upward.”

Talking to successful people who have been there and done that and distancing yourself from those who would hold you back is crucial, she says. But you also need to trust your gut and “make time for mind searching, spend time dreaming, thinking and planning without outside influence”.

Flossie’s Jenene Crossan says something similar.  

“Lloyd Morrison changed my life,” she explains. “He invested in my company (nzgirl) when I was only 22, with barely any commercial evidence to support why he should – with the exception being he bought into the vision of what I saw feasible. His faith and support gave me confidence in my own abilities, and carried me forward. I hope to do the same and actively work with a ‘pay it forward’ mentality – looking to support other young entrepreneurs starting out on their journey, giving them advice, an ear and a shoulder.

Nearly 18 years later and that business is a very different one, she says, but for her personally it helped build foundations of listening and learning, and ensured she wasn’t afraid to do something completely new and unheard of.

“Much of it must come from within, with support from a trusted few who you know you can a) listen to, and b) be challenged by. You’re not looking for unconditional support all the time. Your family can give you that. From a business point of view you’re looking for people who can speak candidly and help you see things from a different perspective.”

For Scott Houston, founder of Green Button, inspiration came from The Lord of the Rings.

“Working with Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor as CTO on The Lord of the Rings movies is certainly one of the highlights of my career,” he says. “They taught me that anything is possible if you dream big enough. That led me to found Green Button, and the passion and enthusiasm of the team really inspired me, especially when times were tough or I was on the road and missing my family.”

As well as having the right support network, Houston says you also need the right mindset.

“Every entrepreneur has huge highs and lows and that is part of the journey and probably why we love it so much,” he says. “…You learn that ‘no’ just means we haven’t found a way to ‘yes’ yet, and ‘it can’t be done’ is more a matter of how much and how long.”

Simon Coley’s source of inspiration and influence for Karma Cola and All Good Organics is simple: a pencil. “The US was commissioning something with NASA to write in outer space,” he says. “And they spent millions and millions of dollars trying to create a pen that would allow an astronaut to write in zero gravity. [A pencil] was what the Russians came up with.”

That simplicity also relates to his company’s work in Africa, he says. “We don’t need massive technology to improve people’s lives there. We’ve just got to think about what people need, and how we can help them.”

Sometimes, Coley says, the best solution is a simple one and it is often sitting right in front of you. You just need to listen – to your market, to your trusted advisors, and to your own intuition – act on that information and then hold on tight, something all of the Innovation Heroes have done successfully.

Although these four innovators come from very different backgrounds and have very different businesses, they share many of the same traits. To watch the video, download your FREE booklet and get our Innovation Heroes’ ‘Top Tips’ go to innovationcouncil.org.nz.

Highlights from the night include:

Lisa King, Eat My Lunch

Eat My Lunch (a lunch delivery service that donates one school lunch to a Kiwi kid in need for every lunch a customer buys) is the kind of business that manages to impress you with the cleverness of the idea and skill of its execution, and give you the warm fuzzies at the same time.

Along with two partners, King is tackling a very real social problem – Kiwi kids going to school hungry – by providing consumers a way to easily and deliciously give back to the community.

King described the ethics of the ‘buy one/give one’ model, the importance of taking a leap of faith in business (an especially big leap considering it was an untested charitable model) and described how the company went from a zero capital, home-based business to exceeding their three year forecast in eight weeks.

“I guess you could call that inaccurate forecasting”.

Key quote: “This is a model that can work in any city in the world…where there are haves and have nots”.

Stephen Henry, Kode Biotech

Kode Biotech’s amazing anti-cancer treatment is impressive enough, but almost as impressive is Stephen Henry’s ability to describe the complex science behind the idea in a clear, concise way.

Equally lucid was his relation of his from invention-mad youngster (“I used to live for the inorganic rubbish collection – you could pick up stuff from the side of the road and build whatever you wanted”) to his time at university (never has “I eventually received a couple of doctorates” been said so blithely), to the most shocking revelation of the night – that he has fathered sixteen (read that again, sixteen) offspring. 

Henry also paid tribute to the resilience he sees as crucial to Kode Biotech’s success and entrepreneurialism in general.

Key quote: “I’m not an innovation hero; I’m an innovation survivor….The key to our success is the ability to survive – being around long enough for luck to say hello”.

Innovation Heroes, hear their story – Stephen Henry from NZ Innovation Council on Vimeo.

Dale Clareburt, Weirdly

Weirdly is an online recruitment tool built on the belief that hiring people whose values align with those of the company should be first and foremost, with skills and experience coming second.  

If that sounds like a radical idea, it is, especially the way Clareburt described it last night.

“We have to start thinking of candidates like customers,” she says, “and giving candidates control of the process”.

Clareburt used the podium to explore what innovation means to her and how that’s affected her career.

“Innovation,” she says, “is where invention meets impact”.

“It’s hard to do – really hard – but it’s also cool and addictive as well.

Key quote: “You can’t change the world in one fell swoop. It’s something you do every day”.

Toni Moyes, 8i

81 COO Toni Moyes has come a long way. Starting her career as a solicitor, policy advisor and economic analyst, a natural curiosity and willingness to ask questions paved the way for her leap, headfirst, into the thrilling world of VR technology.

After confessing she was still reeling from Henry’s paternity claims (as was the rest of the room), Moyes talked about her unusual path to innovation success and how seeking answers invariably provided her with opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t have presented themselves.

“I was trying to answer a question,” she said of her early investigation into innovation and entrepreneurship. “What kind of business could make a difference to the country?”

“I was curious and I kept being curious until I got to my right time and my right place”.

Key quote: “…and yes, Ashton Kutcher is one of our investors”.

Innovation Heroes, Hear their story – Toni Moyes from NZ Innovation Council on Vimeo.

Glenn Martin, Martin Jetpack

Anyone who has spoken with Martin – or seen him speak ­– knows that he’s a charismatic and hilarious orator. He’s also an amazing advocate for doing…stuff – with some caveats. One of his favourite points is that he doesn’t ‘believe in himself’.

“I don’t believe in myself,” he says. “I believe in maths. Two plus two equals four”.

On this – that lack of self-belief – he is adamant: “A reporter once stuck a microphone in my face and said ‘Do you really believe your company is worth $800 million?’. Of course the Scotsman in me said ‘Fuck no’.”

Martin Jetpack however – both the product and the company ­– is by all accounts amazing. I addition to his outstanding achievement in getting the project off the ground, so to speak, he also claims to hold the world record as the fattest man to ever fly a jetpack.

Key quote: “Believe in maths and marry the right woman. Because when it came time to test the jetpack…Well I weigh 100 kilos”.

Innovation Heroes, hear their story – Glenn Martin from NZ Innovation Council on Vimeo.