{"id":53712,"date":"2023-10-20T16:24:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T16:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/the-three-things-these-aussie-entrepreneurs-learned-from-richard-branson-after-visiting-his-private-island-twice-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T16:24:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T16:24:41","slug":"the-three-things-these-aussie-entrepreneurs-learned-from-richard-branson-after-visiting-his-private-island-twice-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/the-three-things-these-aussie-entrepreneurs-learned-from-richard-branson-after-visiting-his-private-island-twice-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"The three things these Aussie entrepreneurs learned from Richard Branson after visiting his private island twice – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ideapod<\/div>\n

Two Australian entrepreneurs say they have learned three key things during their time with Richard Branson and two visits to the influential entrepreneur\u2019s private island.<\/p>\n

Justin Brown and Mark Bakacs, the co-founders of startup Ideapod<\/a>, are on the verge of visiting with the Virgin CEO\u2019s island for a third time after Branson personally endorsed their ideas-sharing platform in a blog post in August last year.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cRichard is very enthusiastic about the mission of Ideapod to build a social media platform for sharing ideas, and he has used it to crowdsource ideas,\u201d Brown tells StartupSmart.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cRichard loves the idea that companies can use Ideapod for genuine engagement with staff and customers \u2013 to get feedback on what people really feel \u2013 the best ideas for new products and new policies can come from anywhere within a company, and only in a small number of cases do they come from the top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Branson\u2019s backing has helped the pair secure $3 million in funding for the startup and introduce a new product, Capture \u2013 an app allowing users to capture their ideas in 40 second videos.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has opened up a whole range of opportunities with investors who want to invest in enterprise solutions and we really have Richard Branson to thank for that,\u201d Bakacs tells StartupSmart.<\/em><\/p>\n

The pair has taken away three key lessons from their time with Branson.<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t take it too seriously<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The most important thing that Branson showed the pair is that its crucial founders and entrepreneurs don\u2019t take themselves or their business too seriously<\/p>\n

\u201cHis most important message was that business should be fun,\u201d Brown says.
\u201cHe infused fun into everything he does and we try to do the same at Ideapod.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Look after your employees<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s also important that this carriers through to a company\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichard also emphasised how important it is to treat your staff well,\u201d Bakacs adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are your greatest asset and must be having fun too.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Think big<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bakacs says Branson also demonstrates why it\u2019s so important for entrepreneurs to think big.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were inspired by Richard to keep thinking big,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has always sought to disrupt industries by providing better customer service. Richard was encouraged by the expansive mission of Ideapod to build a social media platform for ideas and urged us to stick at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Capturing ideas<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Brown says the new Capture app will serve as a notebook of sorts for creative entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very simple and intuitive app for recording your video ideas in a gallery \u2013 similar to a notebook,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can keep them for yourself or share them to your Ideapod profile to get feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dakacs says the key to securing investment for Ideapod and Capture was the ability to show potential investors traction in the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly on we recruited a designer and showed design of Ideapod to organisations and got them to sign letters of intent to use Ideapod when it was ready,\u201d he says<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also built a landing page and got early expressions of interest from users and organisations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis enabled us to raise our first seed round and from there we\u2019ve continued to release new versions of the platform and build our monthly active users.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning home<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Aussie entrepreneurs relocated to the US to find investment and are now based in Los Angeles, but say they are considering setting up a permanent base back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at building an office in Sydney or Melbourne given the high demand we\u2019ve seen in Australia with enterprises using Ideapod to crowdsource ideas,\u201d Brown says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe visit Australia regularly given our ties here and we have a strong investor base in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustralia is a wonderful place for startups \u2013 we have quality infrastructure, a highly educated population and a vibrant and diverse economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been positive to see the government embrace startups and innovation and we hope to see this support continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the long term, the team hope to keep rapidly expanding around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the beginning we\u2019ve always wanted to build a product that people love,\u201d Dakacs says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d love for Ideapod to continue scaling with more and more people loving the platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the long term we\u2019d like for Ideapod to be a positive force in improving how we communicate online, helping us to communicate with more intent and authenticity.\u201d<\/p>\n

For their own lessons for fellow entrepreneurs and founders, the duo keep it simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping thinking big, build a product your users love and be resilient,\u201d Brown says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the source of your own authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Follow\u00a0StartupSmart\u00a0on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>LinkedIn<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>SoundCloud.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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