Simon Rogerson

▶

▶ 113.4K ❤ 0 💬 0

Coming up with a business idea might be easier than you think… Simply borrow someone else’s idea and execute it better. Most established companies really aren’t that brilliant. They get a lot of things wrong and they’re generally struggling to change at the speed the world now moves at. This creates huge opportunities for faster, more agile start-ups. #StartUp #Entrepreneur #Advice #fyp #octopus #ceo #interview #podcast #business

▶

▶ 5K ❤ 0 💬 0

Want to start a business but struggling to think of an idea? 🤔 25 years ago, Guy, Christophe and I, fuelled by the naivety of youth, decided that we wanted to set up a business. The problem at the time was that none of us really had any idea about what the business should do. Our first few ideas – largely focused on the travel and entertainment industry – were woeful. After a few months, we landed on one (spoiler alert: it was Octopus). How we got there, I hope, might be helpful to other people who are thinking about starting their own company. The first point to make is that you don’t need to invent something totally new. It’s perfectly OK to take an existing idea and then try and execute it better. The second point to make is that it usually makes sense to start close to home. Our very limited experience when we set Octopus up was in the world of investments. While our two years of work experience didn’t count for much, it helped a little. The final point to make is, as Nike would say, to ‘just do it’. If you wake up thinking about setting up your own business, you should get on with it. Don’t do an MBA and don’t wait until you have more experience. You’ll learn ten times more quickly doing your own thing than you will working for someone else. #StartUp #Entrepreneur #Advice #fyp #octopus #ceo #interview #podcast #business #highlights

▶

▶ 3.4K ❤ 0 💬 0

Do you have what it takes to start your own company? 🤔 Whenever someone asks me whether they should set up their own business, my answer is almost always the same: yes. No matter the business idea, no matter your age or experience, I always think it’s worth trying. You’ll learn so much during the process, and life’s too short to live with regrets. There are, however, a few vital traits any entrepreneur needs, and one of the most important things (perhaps the most obvious one) is passion. You need to feel so strongly and so passionately about what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it, that you never want to stop. The whole concept of work/life balance probably won’t cross your mind because you’ll genuinely love what you do. I have three children who I love to bits. Octopus comes a very close second to how I think about my children. That freaks people out, but it’s true. Building a business will consume your life, so you need to be prepared and willing to accept that. If you’re not unbelievably passionate about it, you’ll probably have a problem. #StartUp #Entrepreneur #Advice #fyp #octopus #ceo #podcast #simonsquibb #highlights #podcast