Taking the first step
I’ve always been curious. I love talking to people about how and why things are done a certain way and coming up with new ideas. I always imagined that one day I would own my own business and one day I just went for it. The business and our products evolved a lot over time, and we were never afraid to declare a previous decision wrong and rethink everything without regret.
Stability through the storm
As the leader, it’s your role to build a sense of stability through the storm. Even though I have a very candid relationship with my team, and they are very supportive, sometimes the weight of responsibility can be a lonely experience. I do think that the risks to the mental health of startup founders is something that needs careful attention. What kept me going was an incredible support network and the knowledge that we were creating value and that the right opportunities would come.
Moments that have made it all worthwhile
It’s when people I admire want to work with me. Working with talented and motivated people you enjoy spending time with is remarkably satisfying. Also, when our business was acquired it was a great sense of accomplishment to know that we built something from nothing that was valued enough to attract a great offer.
My advice to potential entrepreneurs
I think you need unwavering resilience, a willingness to evolve and change without getting too attached to a decision and a genuine belief that the people around you have created value. For me, with the right team in place it always felt like a matter of time before we succeeded and a little bit of luck to determine the magnitude of success.
My advice to potential entrepreneurs is to be incredibly picky about your cofounders and early team members. At the start, every new person can make or break the business.
Andrew Walker is CTO of VROMO and founder of Fleet Engineering. He has been helping companies deliver operational improvement for over 10 years, managing projects in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia. He has a first class honours degree in mechanical engineering from UWA and bachelor of commerce from Curtin University. Andrew loves singing and playing guitar and almost made it as a pro tennis player (apart from he lost all the time).
Photo: Attila Csaszar