One of the realities of running a small business is isolation.
If you live remotely, or you don't have access to networks or mentors, it's hard to know if you're making the right decisions or if you're on the right path.
Here we've gathered four of Australia's online business leaders to share the wise words that were passed down to them.
What is the best business advice you've received? Please share in the comments.
Zoe Pointon and Marta Higuera are co-founders and co-CEOs at Open Agent, a service that intelligently compares and ranks real estate agents in Australia.
Photo: Wesley Nel
"This was some of the best advice I received early in my career as an entrepreneur," he said.
"Eian Mathieson was my first mentor, and this mantra has always stuck with me and put me in good stead in business over the past 20 years. Sometimes in business you are faced with challenging situations and to 'always wear the white hat' means to stick to your values and do the right thing."
Sheryl Thai is CEO and co-founder of the League of Extraordinary Women, a Melbourne-based group that brings together like-minded female entrepreneurs. The community now also has an app in prototype phrase and is a certified B corporation.
Her best advice? "You are the average of the five friends you spend the most time with."
"I heard this quote in my early 20s. Instead of allowing myself to be surrounded by people who didn't encourage me to think bigger, I went out to find other like-minded people who were doing better than I was so I could learn from them. They showed me possibilities and inspired me to get outside my comfort zone," she said.
Photo: Caleb Charles
Chris Strode is the founder of Invoice2go, a mobile app for small business owners and freelancers to track work and collect payment. He's been running the company since founding it 14 years ago and has offices in Sydney and San Francisco.
His advice? Focus on one thing at a time.
"It's easy to spread your efforts wide because you'll have so much you want to do, but if you can stay focused on what brings in one customer, and most importantly, what keeps them happy, you'll be able to do it over and over again," he said.
"I learned this right at the beginning of my start-up journey, which was the most critical time to learn it because that's when you really need to understand the core problem you're trying to solve."
Phil Silverstone is the general manager of Eventbrite Australia, an event technology platform. It has processed more than $5 billion in gross ticket sales since its inception in 2005. His prior experience includes senior roles at GE and investment banks.
Top advice? Take on the toughest assignments.
Strode believe this is the best advice for someone looking to advance their career.
"It's these opportunities where you learn the most and are able to gain a presence for yourself as someone who can execute no matter what. For me, there are a number of moments I look back on where I took on additional work or a job few wanted and turned it into an opportunity. It's these moments that truly helped to accelerate my career," he said.
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