Success Stories

(Podcast) Entrepreneur Economy Podcast my journey from farm to Synx

In this episode, I chat with Charles McKay, who's journey has taken him from his family farm in Victoria, to running Synx




I was lucky enough to be asked to do a post cast with  from Disruptive Clarity. Paul and i first met in 2002 when i was working with a IT Consulting firm and we were helping Paul at Clayton Kitchen with some Terminal server implementations. We reconnected again this year and have had some great chats and discussion about all things start up growing and challenges along the way. 

About The Entrepreneur Economy podcast, where we talk to founders who are forging their way to success. Whether preparing themselves for investment, or just kicking things off, we’ll hear about the highs and the lows, almost as they happen. We aim to show that people from all walks of life and all backgrounds can do something special. We’re more interested in the person than the business, although the idea behind the business is a large part of what seek to discover. We aim to bring an honest, “warts and all” perspective with the goal to show people what it really takes, while at the same time encourage everyone to give it a go.

Listen to the pod cast by selecting the image below 

The Entrepreneur Economy podcast

Show notes

In this episode, I chat with Charles McKay, who's journey has taken him from his family farm in Victoria, to running his own digital inbound marketing agency, and learning some valuable lessons along the way about culture, planning and taking opportunities.

After spending his formative years at boarding school, Charles entered into the world of IT through his cousins business.  Several years, and several jobs later, after self-teaching the finer points of IT administration, Charles felt the desire to learn more about business, and took advantage of a few opportunities that came his way.  These opportunities have brought him to his current vocation in digital lead generation with his company Synx.

Charles revealed an early challenge, learning to deal with mild dyslexia (hmm, who else do we know that suffers from dyslexia? That's right, Richard Branson famously refused to let dyslexia prevent him from taking on anything he set his mind to). 

Charles has assumed the title of CEO, which stands for Chief Energy Officer, feeling the need to lead others with his natural energy and enthusiasm.  Having a grounding from life on the family farm, Charles explains why honesty so is important in business, as well as building a strong team culture through openness and approachability.

It hasn't always been smooth sailing, with some challenges arising through a lack of planning and experience, but resilience allows entrepreneurs to withstand the tough times, and then take advantage of new opportunities.

Charles looks forward to the next few years where he plans to build his team and grow his business on the back of current successes, and the continual shift to digital marketing.

Take-aways

OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities are presented to us more regularly that we tend to realise.  The most successful of entrepreneurs are those who can not only see the best opportunities, but take action and take advantage of them without delay.

SAYING NO

As difficult as it is, there are many times where saying "No" will provide greater value that saying "Yes".  For a business it might sound like suicide to turn away a paying client, but weigh up all factors, including the cost of doing business with that client, and the opportunities lost through holding on to current markets.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM SPORT

Sport not only provides us with entertainment, but participating from a young age also teaches us many lessons in teamwork, work ethic and leadership.  It also helps us learn to communicate effectively.  As we get older, casual sport also helps us remain active, if not fit and healthy.

Thanks for listening

Thanks for taking the time to listen to this podcast. If you have some feedback you’d like to share, please leave a comment below!  If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please share it using the social media buttons at the bottom of the post.

If you have any questions or would just like to say Hi!, you can reach out to Paul at http://www.disruptiveclarity.com/hire-us/ 


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