{"id":37837,"date":"2023-10-20T14:52:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/how-getting-fired-inspired-invoice2go-founder-chris-strode-to-build-a-100m-app-for-smes-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T14:52:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:52:38","slug":"how-getting-fired-inspired-invoice2go-founder-chris-strode-to-build-a-100m-app-for-smes-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/how-getting-fired-inspired-invoice2go-founder-chris-strode-to-build-a-100m-app-for-smes-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"How getting fired inspired Invoice2go founder Chris Strode to build a $100m app for SMEs – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting sacked from a good job at a major bank for being too drunk at the company cocktail party would be enough to halt \u2013 or at least impede \u2013 the career ambitions of most young software developers.<\/p>\n

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Not Invoice2go founder Chris Strode.<\/p>\n

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For Strode, getting fired from Macquarie Bank in 2002 at age 28 for having \u201cone too many drinks\u201d at a company event was the catalyst for success.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn the end, that was the best thing that ever happened to me,\u201d he says, speaking toSmartCompany<\/i> from Palo Alto, San Francisco, where Invoice2go set up shop six months ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOtherwise I would have been too loyal to that job.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Having built the first iteration of the Invoice2go app, Strode was comfortably living off the income of his well-paying Macquarie gig and was not ready to give up that security to go it alone in the startup world.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe app had just started to equal what I was making at Macquarie. So I had two incomes, but it wasn\u2019t enough to edge me out on my own. I mean, how do you go start something out on your own when you\u2019re actually doing alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

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But Strode had plenty of first-hand experience seeing how tough it was out there for small business owners. He\u2019d grown up in the Victorian regional town of Wodonga, with his parents running one of the local caravan parks.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen you live in the caravan park, it\u2019s 24\/7. Even when you\u2019re trying to relax, you\u2019ll get a knock the door. It teaches you a work ethic, definitely, they [my parents] worked a hell of a lot harder than me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Seeing his parents, as well as several of his siblings who operated their own trade businesses, drown in paperwork on top of their other business obligations led Strode to the idea of Invoice2go \u2013 a simple-to-use invoicing app that prepares and send invoices from small business owners to their clients instantly, helping them get paid quicker.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI saw the paperwork and thought, there\u2019s got to be an easier way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I first made the app, there were four people in my immediate family who put their hands up to test it out\u2026 then I knew it had so much potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He was right. Twelve years later, more than 100,000 businesses now use Invoice2go and Strode\u2019s company is worth more than $US100 million ($A115 million).<\/p>\n

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On his way to an NBA game in San Francisco, Strode chats with SmartCompany<\/i> about how he went from an unemployed developer to Australia\u2019s newest $100 million man.<\/p>\n

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Mornings<\/b><\/p>\n

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When he\u2019s in Australia and not visiting one of Invoice2go\u2019s two international offices in San Francisco and Jakarta, Strode is up at 5.30am for some exercise. That could include a jog, a trip to the gym or dealing with the general chaos that comes with having three children under the age of 10.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey are a handful, but they\u2019re a lot of fun,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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After some eggs or cereal, he\u2019s off to Invoice2go\u2019s trendy north Sydney offices.<\/p>\n

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Daily life<\/b><\/p>\n

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Strode says his day mostly consists of \u201changing out\u201d with his team of developers or attending any number of Skype meetings.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m almost on Skype half the day,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

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Strode says Invoice2go is in the midst of a hyper growth phase and is doing a lot of recruiting. It\u2019s a process Strode likes to be heavily involved with, saying he sees many of his staff as friends.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe try to get results of course, but I see all the guys I work with as good mates. I\u2019m far more comfortable hanging out with those guys because I like talking about developing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Strode says he lived the life of an obsessive developer himself for about 10 years, coding all night and straight through Christmas some years. He says one of the hardest challenges he\u2019s faced with growing his company is letting go of something you once had complete control over.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s definitely hard to let go, without a doubt it takes a lot of work to learn. But you realise there\u2019s people who are better at it than you. As you transition out of each of those roles, you depart knowledge on those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Strode\u2019s big on ensuring communication is a key part of Invoice2go\u2019s culture, making sure he carves out even a few minutes each day to personally talk to each of his staff members.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI like to just walk around every day and have a chat with everyone in the office. That\u2019s where you get the best ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Leisure time<\/b><\/p>\n

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With multiple offices open 24\/7, Strode admits it can be tough to switch off his brain \u2013 let alone his phone.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOh, I never switch off my phone,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI don\u2019t know if anyone turns off their phone these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While he confesses he can sometimes turn off his brain while sitting on the couch after a drink, he believes he is naturally a fairly contemplative guy.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEven when you\u2019re a kid, if you\u2019re a thinker, you\u2019re always thinking about the world, you never stop,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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But Strode says you will find him most relaxed when he\u2019s able to get out on the water \u2013 on the boat, jet skiing or surfing \u2013 or just spending time with his kids.<\/p>\n

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Future<\/b><\/p>\n

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Strode says Invoice2go is focusing on being the market leader in app invoicing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are the market leader now, but our biggest competition is pen and paper,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are 100 million small businesses worldwide, that\u2019s huge potential. We want to be the best invoicing app in all regions, all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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To complete that goal, Strode says he is on a mission to find the best people and perfect the app for users.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou can\u2019t just be the best and sit there and not innovate,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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This article originally appeared on Smart Company<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n


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Follow <\/i>StartupSmart on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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