Discovering Business - Six Months In
Our Journey
Where have we come from…
For the past six months DiscoverEI has been on an amazing journey, chatting to people across all sectors of the Victorian water industry to discover the key challenges we face. The overwhelming response has been that:
Data analysis and visualisation are some of the key challenges facing the water industry today.
For water professionals who undertake environmental modelling and data analysis, the ability to clearly communicate these findings is paramount. The age old saying where a ‘picture is worth a thousand words’ especially holds true in engineering:
“Painting the picture of our environment is more than just numbers and charts”
As we reflect on our journey so far, we have been humbled by the support, guidance and advice that we have received from our colleagues and mentors.
In this blog we share some of our key takeaways from starting a new business and understanding the major challenges facing the water industry in this new digital age, with the aim of inspiring others who are on a similar journey.
The road is long, winding and hilly, but rest assured stay true to your goals and you will find your way.
What have we learnt…
When starting up your own business, you realise very quickly that there is a lot of things to do, outside of what your business actually does. Alice and I, the co-founders of DiscoverEI, have become social media, website, IT, marketing, legal and accounting ‘experts’, in addition to the technical environmental services we provide.
These are a few of our biggest tips we’ve picked up on our journey so far to keep your head above water to reach your goals:
Surround yourself with good people…
"Don't be intimidated by what you don't know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else." (Sara Blakely)
You can’t do it all by yourself. No matter how much control we all want, every founder realises sooner or later you will need a helping hand and some outside expertise. That’s where business mentors, coaches and friends come in.
We have been truely humbled by the amount of support we have received since starting DiscoverEI in April 2019. For us, we decided that we would join YBF ventures, a tech and innovation co-working space in the heart of the Melbourne CBD. This opened us up to a new world where entrepreneurship was the norm, and we instantly had more than 200 people who have ‘been there and done that’ to provide sound advice, challenge our ideas and simply be an ear to listen.
One story that come to mind is from the early stages of the business when Alice and I had a couple of late nights in the office and were finally ready to released our website and launch DiscoverEI on Social Media. We were ecstatic and very proud of what we had created. A couple of minutes after posting, one of the founders of a tech start-up a couple of desks down called us across and gave us some excellent advice on how to improve our messages on our website. While we weren’t the most receptive as we were really keen to go and celebrate - we went back and updated our website again…But it made all the difference! Our message was now clear, people could understand who we are, what we stand for, and how we are different. People who offer advice are truly priceless.
For those who have provided support and guidance, to those who have opened up their networks and introduced us to others across the industry; these gestures have been invaluable and have given us the exposure and confidence to keep on pushing. We thank all of those who have supported us in these early stages of our company.
Find good people, listen to them and never forget to say thank you along the way.
Believe in the work you’re doing and keep focusing on that dream…
“When you're following your inner voice, doors tend to eventually open for you, even if they mostly slam at first.” (Kelly Cutrone)
For anyone setting out on their own, you have to remember that once you believed in yourself and your vision enough to take the plunge, and you just have to trust you’re on the right path. You will face a rollercoaster of emotions when running your own business, where at times you will want to laugh, cry, shout and sometimes throw your computer out the window all within the hour.
This broad emotional spectrum is something we have definitely felt over our journey. One moment in particular stands out, where we were waiting to hear back on the outcome of a large proposal we had submitted. This particular project would have set us up with a lot of work over an 18 month period, and after being shortlisted to the final two consultancies, and having gone through a round of interviews, we did not get the job. It was a tough one to lose and really stung, but luckily on that very same day we did get a separate job with the same client, which has allowed us to continue to build the relationship with our client and work together to develop some awesome visual tools.
You have to take the good with the bad, and remember that when times get rough, never forget to have a break! Clear your head by taking a walk, listen to music, meditate or do anything that will divert your attention away, and then come back with complete focus and dedication to achieve your goals, knowing that the next big thing is just around the corner.
Sometimes all you need, is to give things time to find the right path.
Nothing comes easy, but through persistence the eventual successes are all worth it…
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” (Winston Churchill)
Winston Churchill worded it perfectly, where the only way to success is to witness failure first. There might always be that lump of fear in your throat that stops you from raising your hand to answer a question because you ask, ‘what if I get it wrong?‘ In reality, the wrong answer will make you learn from it one way or another, and that is how you keep growing.
One of the most challenging projects we have worked on so far, has been all about learning and working collaboratively with our client to develop an automated solution to manage their data. We have had small failures on this project many times along the way, but have definitely grown and learnt from the challenges that we have had to overcome. There is no better way to grow and develop as a person then to operate outside of your comfort level, and in running a small business you will find this everyday.
Its important to be aware of the fears you have and understand that you won’t get things right straight away. However, if you take positive steps, get the desired support and advice along the way, and fail small to succeed big you will make it through successfully!