Originally from the UK, Dan is now settled in Australia and successfully driving the online trades and services platform “SERVICE.COM.AU” forward as CEO. Aside from earning his mechanical engineering degree at one of the UK’s most established universities “Loughborough,” it was what Dan achieved outside the classroom and on the “pitch” that makes him the interesting and passionate performer that he is today.
Dan’s skill and passion for sales & customer service really began back in the UK whilst working for his family-run business. The building and civil engineering merchant company allowed him to grow, gaining all the skills necessary to connect with clients professionally, whilst working on selling and retention.
Dan then moved to Australia to play rugby for the semi-professional league team “Burleigh Bears.” In that time he also contributed greatly to sales management on the Gold Coast in the tourist industry. This takes Dan to March 2014, when he joined as CEO of the start-up “SERVICE.COM.AU” Australia’s highest-rated trades and services website, to lift the service off the ground and get the ball rolling.
For more details, visit their website here.
Today, we sit down with Dan to get some insight into his journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. How did you get started as an entrepreneur? What inspired you?
Dan: I’ve never really identified with the definition of being an entrepreneur but respect that in many people’s eyes, it may be an appropriate description… so, if the shoe fits! But in terms of my journey in business, I’d say it started when I was very young, watching my grandfather run our family business and the subsequent mentorship of my uncles who took on the ‘mantle’ when my grandfather passed. I had a deep admiration and respect for how they both led and managed the business to be able to provide for both their immediate and wider family but also their deep commitment to their customers and their staff which gave them a competitive edge.
Fast forward to my personal journey in business, and I would say there were two main motivators that contributed to ‘getting started’, firstly the desire to be able to control my own destiny, which really developed along my journey as a salesperson, but secondly as an engineer, the instinct to see problems/opportunities and then either seeing or being able to work methodically through to a solution. That was how I became involved with Service.com.au. I really resonated with the idea and knew that my past experience and skill set could play some part in growing the business.
Q. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive?
Dan: In the early days I certainly didn’t have any ‘tricks’ and remember thinking I didn’t need a schedule or ‘todo’ lists and I think that’s important to state, as part of the learning is in the doing, so I don’t think you need to have any ‘productivity hacks’ to get started.
But a few things that I rely on today would be as follows…
- A consistent morning routine, which involves waking up at the same time each day, some sort of exercise and at least 15 minutes to prioritise activities for the day (I like to pair this with my morning coffee)
- A disciplined calendar that incorporates all areas of my life from business, family, leisure, etc. I schedule all areas of my life even if they are repeat events that I do not necessarily need reminding of, but most importantly I schedule time for family and joy as it is often easy to overlook these things if you are busy going from one day to the next.
- There are many different frameworks out there, but using a tool that helps you break down any long-term ambitions into yearly goals and 90-day action plans is another great way to stay focused and productive.
Q. What motivates you?
Dan: My primary motivators have definitely evolved over time, so no doubt they will continue to change, but previous motivators have included; Self-improvement, Problem Solving and Competition. But I’d say my primary motivator currently is to provide choices for my family and I believe owning companies and entrepreneurship are great ways to pursue those choices.
Q. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
Dan: I’d say in the early days, some of the greatest investments we made would be attending networking events. That investment of time is priceless as the chain of connections and knowledge that you can uncover is never-ending. I can trace events that happen to this day to an introduction 9+ years ago.
And then more recently I believe investing in seminars, conferences and mentorship where you can acquire years, sometimes decades of knowledge and lived experiences in a short period of time, can pay itself back 10 times over, so long as the knowledge is followed with action.
Q. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?
Dan: I think this all depends on the stage of the business and the individual skill set of the entrepreneur, but I think a solid understanding of business finance is key even if you have others supporting you in this area.
I also believe that outside of being a ‘solopreneur’, that leadership is a foundational component to success, so investing in leadership skills and developing competence in this area is critical.
What is your ‘one-sentence’ piece of advice you’d like to give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, coach, or business owner?
Dan: Nothing worth doing is going to be ‘easy’ and be willing to stick it out for long enough to get good enough!
To keep up to date with Dan and his journey, connect with him on LinkedIn.