Searchlight - The Entrepreneurs Journey Entrepreneurs Journey - by Advicepoint Business Consulting and Bay FM 100.3

To mark the end of season three of the progam, we take a look back at just a few of the many highlights that co-hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan have had the pleasure of bringing to you. It was really hard to select extracts from 29 programs and some 53 hours of talking to such a superb line up of guests. But we eventually managed to get it down to just 14 pearls of wisdom covering a range of topics and issues that arise on the Entrepreneurial Journey. 

Colin Kinner – What statups need to do to understand their market and test it.
Mike O’Hagan – Tells the story of how he founded Mini Movers.
Llew Jury – Why your MVP and speed to market is important.
Marten Jagers – On the importance of getting the right people around you.
Lindy Chen – Thinking of the Entrepreneur as a Business Scientist.
Joe Barnewall – On the importance of knowing your Why.
Craig Charlton - Talking about their experience of getting their product patented.
Mark Metzeling – On the common errors he see startups making in relation to Intellectual Property.
Ian Parke – On the importance of understanding numbers.
Vu Tran - On the role and importance of sales and why being a good salesperson is like being a good doctor.
Mark Jones - What is Digital Marketing.
Piers Cockram – Exiting and how it relates to the Founders Why.
Steve Baxter – The best ways for Startups to get funded.
Simon Horne -  What are the essential elements that need to be in a pitch.

On this last show John and Sharyn are also joined by Startup Mentor and Innovation Advisor, Kellie Dyer.

We have covered many points on the Entrepreneurs Journey over the last three seasons, but there is one key topic we have not got to yet, the Exit. It’s often hard for founders to think about the exit when they are just at the start of their Entrepreneurial Journey, but as with all good planning, it helps to start with the end in mind. So as a founder, what do you need to do to think about, plan for and then eventually manage your exit? Joining Sharyn and John to look at this important topic are Andy Hill, Australian Regional Director of international Merger and Acquisition advisors Corum Group plus Josh Steele, partner of Brisbane based law firm Piper Alderman. To provide the perspective of a Founder who has successfully navigated more than one exit, we are also be joined by Brisbane based software Entrepreneur Piers Cockram. Listen in to check out the ins and outs of Exits!

Pitching is an essential part of the capital raising process for many startups, getting your pitch right can be make or break. But what should, and what should not, go into your pitch so that it hits the mark with prospective investors? In this edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey, we take a look at what are the essential ingredients that make for a good pitch. We will also delve into that ‘elephant in the room’ topic, valuation. Just what is the best way to handle the issue of valuation in your pitch? To help us answer these questions regular hosts Sharyn and John are joined by experienced startup and investment advisor Dr Chris Booth of 42 Ventures, Simon Horne, founder and CEO of Australia’s largest Angel Investment group, Angel Loop. Also joining us to share her own Entrepreneurs Journey experience is the founder of Female sports body protection specialists Fempro Armour, Stephanie Bofinger.

In this edition of Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey, by way of a prelude to the forthcoming Young Entrepreneur Summit taking place at Redlands Performing Arts Centre of the 14th of September 2022, we take look at the topic of Entrepreneurship for the younger generation. Joining regular hosts John Burkett and Sharyn Doolan are the organisers of the summit, leading social entrepreneur Taj Pabari along with Tionne Young from The ASE Group. Taj and Tionne tell us about the summit and how they encourage the younger generation to take onboard the possibilities and opportunities that entreprenership can open up for younger people. We also hear from an insirational young entrepreneur, Siobhan Wilson, author and founder of Redlands based Our Pixie Friends along with her Startup Mentor, Kellie Dyer.

In this edition of Searchlight – Entrepreneurs Journey we once again throw the program over to become ‘Redlands Angels Live’ where two startups deliver their pitches to our panel of Redlands Angels investors.  You can hear the pitches and get a flavour of the type of questions, debate and discussion that takes place following a pitch. We also try to uncover what interests prospective Angel investors and why they focus on some areas of a pitch rather than others.

On the receiving end of the pitches and giving feedback are Redlands Angels members Tony Wheeler, Greg Bevan and John Burkett. John also doubles up as program co-host alongside Sharyn Doolan.

There is a battle going on in the business world, it’s one that’s been going on for a long time, but it’s probably never been as bad as it is now. That battle is the battle for talent, finding and recruiting the right talented people to not just run your business but also the talent that can help grow it and take it to the next level. Tech startups have faced the issue of finding the right technical talent for years, but the issue is now more widespread as those with skills in other areas become increasingly in demand. So, what can you do to make sure you are as best equipped as possible to win your skirmish in the battle for talent? To answer this question on this edition of the Searchlight Entrepreneurs Journey program, regular host Sharyn Doolan and guest host Tony Wheeler are joined by Caddy Neville - Talent Acquisition Partner at video games developer Gameloft,  Sunny van Angelsen - Talent Acquisition Consultant at Professional Recruitment Australia and Paul Collins – CEO of Skills management platorm SkillsTX.