James is an entrepreneur and certified brand consultant. He has 20 years of experience in the design industry and is passionate about teaching business leaders how to build purposeful brands.
James is a senior leader with renowned Australian business mentor Kerwin Rae, supporting leaders through the K2 Elite business accelerator program. A brand visionary and born communicator, James is committed to working alongside clients with intention, integrity, and impact.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with James, to know a bit more about his journey as a certified brand consultant.
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
James: I wanted to make a bigger impact and have more control over the direction and the future of my life. I am purpose-driven like a lot of creatives and this has always been important to me. I have always believed that money is a byproduct of doing something really well and solving real problems for our customers.
Q. How did you get started?
James: I started my business with my twin brother Phil from our bedroom on a little 15inch iMac over 20 years ago. We were both working full time and slowly navigated the transition to being full-time in our own business. We have never worked so hard in all our lives, anyone that thinks starting a business is easy hasn’t started a business!
We have never been given anything in our lives and have worked so hard to get to where we are today. I feel very blessed to be able to work for myself and help people make an impact, including our team. It makes it very rewarding coming from nothing and embarking on this journey and life’s work.
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
James: Getting work was never an issue for us, getting paid was a challenge at times but we kept overheads low by working from our home. The biggest challenge was actually getting the work done and ensuring that we were getting enough time to upskill and work on the business. This didn’t really happen until we made our first hire.
Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?
James: Moving into our first real office. We had been working from home for over 14 years, to finally have actual premises we could work from and call our own felt really special. It felt like we were finally professional and taking that next step into something really great, it gave us a lot of confidence and has done wonders for the business.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
James: ‘The power of now’ by Ekhart Tolle. This book changed the way I looked at life and my inner world. When your business starts to scale you need to work on yourself to become an inspiring leader for your team. For me, my team and culture are everything, and to have a great business you need to be a great leader.
Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools, or resources and what do you love about them?
Zoom – I basically live on this app day today, I am not sure what I would have done without this technology over the past few ‘challenging’ years of the pandemic.
Waking up by Sam Harris – This is a meditation and self-development app that really helps me navigate the world of being human and bringing in a little spiritual aspect that I think everyone needs.
Xero – this app transformed my whole ‘bookkeeping’ experience, such a great tool for any business – I love it!
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
James: Our tagline is ‘Leave your mark’. I would like to leave this world better than I found it, have an impact, and help the next generation with the challenges they may face.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
James: ‘Be true to your word’ never promise anything you can’t deliver, always under-promise and over-deliver.
To keep up to date with James and his journey, connect with him on Facebook and Instagram.
