9 things I've learned since uni (abridged)

The original for this talk had some secret squirrel stuff in it (which I’ve now cut). So here’s a trimmed version, & you’ll need to come to my next talk in person to get the full detail... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Sunday, 22 November 2009

Basically... Sunday, 22 November 2009

I help start & oversee businesses Sunday, 22 November 2009

But more on that later... Sunday, 22 November 2009

For now... Sunday, 22 November 2009

I’d like to go back Sunday, 22 November 2009

to when I was in shoes similar to yours... Sunday, 22 November 2009

I’ll talk through Sunday, 22 November 2009

some of the journey since Sunday, 22 November 2009

as a way to share Sunday, 22 November 2009

some of my learning Sunday, 22 November 2009

hoping to Sunday, 22 November 2009

spark Sunday, 22 November 2009

insight Sunday, 22 November 2009

This won’t be: • Heavily Structured • With Bullet Points • And 3 key take homes Sunday, 22 November 2009

Instead, I’m hoping for... Sunday, 22 November 2009

more of a ramble Sunday, 22 November 2009

with a l o o s e vibe. Sunday, 22 November 2009

More of an approach Sunday, 22 November 2009

rather than a result Sunday, 22 November 2009

I’m calling it: Sunday, 22 November 2009

9 things I’ve learned uni since Sunday, 22 November 2009

(here’s where you miss the ﬁrst chunk of secret squirrel stuff...) Sunday, 22 November 2009

1. Learn to fail quickly (& cheaply) Sunday, 22 November 2009

The jobs I was doing while at uni were small projects For people that knew me Or that I started for free Sunday, 22 November 2009

So they couldn’t break me Sunday, 22 November 2009

How did I go? Sunday, 22 November 2009

Only OK Sunday, 22 November 2009

I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be Sunday, 22 November 2009

So I shipped myself off... Sunday, 22 November 2009

...to Glasgow Sunday, 22 November 2009

Sunday, 22 November 2009 Glasgow School of Art

Big reputation Sunday, 22 November 2009

Epic Professor (like Prof. Bell) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Who taught me #2... Sunday, 22 November 2009

2. It’s the question that matters Sunday, 22 November 2009

“The mere formulation of a problem is far more essential than it’s solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skills ” -Albert Einstein Sunday, 22 November 2009

I’d thought I was going to Glasgow to learn ‘Design’ Sunday, 22 November 2009

And instead, I had my ﬁrst real taste of... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Marketing Sunday, 22 November 2009

The majority of each project... Sunday, 22 November 2009

was spent learning how to ask the right question. Sunday, 22 November 2009

We would pull markets apart Sunday, 22 November 2009

Looking at them from multiple angles Sunday, 22 November 2009

Watching users Sunday, 22 November 2009

Becoming the user Sunday, 22 November 2009

Experimenting on users Sunday, 22 November 2009

And even talking to them on occasion Sunday, 22 November 2009

Trying to gain... Sunday, 22 November 2009

insight Sunday, 22 November 2009

That others have missed Sunday, 22 November 2009

Like Nits Sunday, 22 November 2009

Or Fruit Sunday, 22 November 2009

I loved this approach Sunday, 22 November 2009

In fact, thinking about Drucker now... Sunday, 22 November 2009

“Marketing is the whole business seen from the customer’s point of view” -Peter Drucker Sunday, 22 November 2009

I realised I was falling in love with marketing. Sunday, 22 November 2009

So after a year in Glasgow Sunday, 22 November 2009

Sunday, 22 November 2009 Travelling loads

Surﬁng most weekends Sunday, 22 November 2009

No matter what the weather Sunday, 22 November 2009

It was time to turn back Sunday, 22 November 2009

home to Oz Sunday, 22 November 2009

Bang out my last uni years Sunday, 22 November 2009

(sorry, secret squirrel strikes) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Meet my future wife Sunday, 22 November 2009

Bust through some proper engineering work Sunday, 22 November 2009

Then think... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Ehhhh, enough of that Sunday, 22 November 2009

And decided to go back to the UK... Sunday, 22 November 2009

because my design & marketing skills were not up to scratch Sunday, 22 November 2009

My Glasgow friends had moved to London Sunday, 22 November 2009

So that’s where we made camp... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Started applying for jobs Sunday, 22 November 2009

... Sunday, 22 November 2009

And kept applying for jobs... Sunday, 22 November 2009

I couldn’t even get past the receptionists! Sunday, 22 November 2009

So I got a job at a hardware store Sunday, 22 November 2009

Which was around the corner from Sunday, 22 November 2009

Where I would hang at every chance Sunday, 22 November 2009

Soon the surf shop offered me a job Sunday, 22 November 2009

Which was more fun than the hardware store Sunday, 22 November 2009

I kept applying for design jobs Sunday, 22 November 2009

And ﬁnally got a foot in the door Sunday, 22 November 2009

via a guy a mate played soccer with... Sunday, 22 November 2009

(at a place that secret squirrel has removed...) Sunday, 22 November 2009

We did ‘pure’ concepts Sunday, 22 November 2009

That were meant to help explore future directions for these companies Sunday, 22 November 2009

I didn’t really dig it... Sunday, 22 November 2009

There weren’t enough constraints Sunday, 22 November 2009

It was more art than design Sunday, 22 November 2009

Which helped me realise #3 Sunday, 22 November 2009

3. Constraints help deﬁne your opportunities Sunday, 22 November 2009

Constraints in the creative process Sunday, 22 November 2009

With a star designer... Sunday, 22 November 2009

I was working on art, not design. Sunday, 22 November 2009

All this while (churning out art that we called design) Sunday, 22 November 2009

I was still doing shifts at the surf shop... Sunday, 22 November 2009

trying not to go broke. Sunday, 22 November 2009

There’s some downtime in a surf shop Sunday, 22 November 2009

So I’d try & make stuff for them Sunday, 22 November 2009

Because it was no longer just a sales guy’s opinion, Sunday, 22 November 2009

now it was an ofﬁcial poster on choosing the right board for you, Sunday, 22 November 2009

board sales grew around 900% Sunday, 22 November 2009

It was a fun place to play Sunday, 22 November 2009

After a year... Sunday, 22 November 2009

We got jack of London Sunday, 22 November 2009

So came home to Oz Sunday, 22 November 2009

I’d done the engineering Sunday, 22 November 2009

I’d done the ‘design’ Sunday, 22 November 2009

And I’d realised a core truth... Sunday, 22 November 2009

4. “Life isn’t about ﬁnding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” -George Bernard Shaw Sunday, 22 November 2009

I was evolving a better vision of what I wanted to be... Sunday, 22 November 2009

And it was incomplete. Sunday, 22 November 2009

I wanted to understand Brands & Marketing better. Sunday, 22 November 2009

So that was enough of an excuse to... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Sunday, 22 November 2009 move to Torquay!

It was either Sunday, 22 November 2009

It was either or Sunday, 22 November 2009

I chose Rip Curl for ‘cos it seemed more tech & down my alley... Sunday, 22 November 2009

I approached, interviewed, was passed on to other managers, interviewed again... Sunday, 22 November 2009

They liked me, but couldn’t work out the best spot... Sunday, 22 November 2009

The thing they liked most? Sunday, 22 November 2009

My fruit chart Sunday, 22 November 2009

With no perfect openings... Sunday, 22 November 2009

They offered me a low paid accessory designer role Sunday, 22 November 2009

Which I jumped at! Sunday, 22 November 2009

Hats, belts, jocks & socks... Sunday, 22 November 2009

...I was in. Sunday, 22 November 2009

4 seasons a year Sunday, 22 November 2009

4 seasons a year 70 odd products a season Sunday, 22 November 2009

4 seasons a year 70 odd products a season This was fast design Sunday, 22 November 2009

But a perfect way to discover... Sunday, 22 November 2009

5. The Feedback Loop Sunday, 22 November 2009

5. The Feedback Loop (Probably the single most under- appreciated part o almost every business) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Designing about 280 products a year, Sunday, 22 November 2009

which either sold or bombed, Sunday, 22 November 2009

you could work things out pretty quickly... Sunday, 22 November 2009

...but most designers didn’t. Sunday, 22 November 2009

They designed, Sunday, 22 November 2009

then moved on. Sunday, 22 November 2009

(secret squirrel) Sunday, 22 November 2009

While designing soft accessories, I was getting to know the equipment guys Sunday, 22 November 2009

Spot Sunday, 22 November 2009

Grab Sunday, 22 November 2009

Was now a Product Manager Sunday, 22 November 2009

(secret squirrel said there was some stuff here about the division drifting a little from...) Sunday, 22 November 2009

So that became our new angle... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Get back to selling the dream Sunday, 22 November 2009

Which was when we hit our next stumbling block... Sunday, 22 November 2009

6. Asking customers is not enough Sunday, 22 November 2009

“If I had listened to my customers, I would have given them a faster horse” -Henry Ford Sunday, 22 November 2009

The aim becomes to give customers what they will value, rather than what they ask for. Sunday, 22 November 2009

From sales reps to existing consumers... Sunday, 22 November 2009

They were asking for better square school bags Sunday, 22 November 2009

MORE sections Sunday, 22 November 2009

BIGGER zips Sunday, 22 November 2009

CHEAPER prices Sunday, 22 November 2009

Yet when I’d go on boat trips through Indo Sunday, 22 November 2009

Or jungle treks through Tahiti (for research) Sunday, 22 November 2009

I’d watch surfers struggling with a crap pack Sunday, 22 November 2009

So we had to put new ideas in front of them, Sunday, 22 November 2009

& see what connected. Sunday, 22 November 2009

We made progress Sunday, 22 November 2009

Monitored the results Sunday, 22 November 2009

Evolved the offering Sunday, 22 November 2009

& repeated Sunday, 22 November 2009

Sales grew Sunday, 22 November 2009

quickly Sunday, 22 November 2009

Which let our team Sunday, 22 November 2009

Take on a more global role Sunday, 22 November 2009

We weren’t really asked to... Sunday, 22 November 2009

But it would let us get more volume behind our ideas Sunday, 22 November 2009

Which then let us step it up again... Sunday, 22 November 2009

And marketing budget appeared... Sunday, 22 November 2009

& we even got new titles Sunday, 22 November 2009

But in the surf game... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Bags & Equipment are not exactly the lead categories Sunday, 22 November 2009

Boardshorts are what get the love Sunday, 22 November 2009

When marketing a brand in tropical locations Sunday, 22 November 2009

Boardshorts are often the only visible product Sunday, 22 November 2009

(so secret squirrel let us loose here...) Sunday, 22 November 2009

So I was asked to help out... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Injecting some brand values back in to them Sunday, 22 November 2009

Or as mates would say... Sunday, 22 November 2009

The issue? Sunday, 22 November 2009

Once again, they had been building what the retailers were asking for, Sunday, 22 November 2009

rather than what the customers had not yet realised they wanted (a much harder sell) Sunday, 22 November 2009

For most users... Sunday, 22 November 2009

They say the look is what matters Sunday, 22 November 2009

But with boardies, if there is no functional underpinnings, Sunday, 22 November 2009

the look is undermined Sunday, 22 November 2009

So instead of just building brighter basic boardies Sunday, 22 November 2009

We decided to tackle 3 key targets we thought our brand could hit... Sunday, 22 November 2009

1. The Core surfer 2. The aspiring surfer 3. The fashion forward surfer (who we were totally missing) Sunday, 22 November 2009

1. The Core surfer 2. The Aspiring surfer 3. The fashion forward surfer (who we were totally missing) Sunday, 22 November 2009

1. The Core surfer 2. The Aspiring surfer 3. The Fashion surfer Sunday, 22 November 2009

High Price, 1. The Core Surfer High Performance Sunday, 22 November 2009

2. The Aspiring Surfer Fit, Details & Features Sunday, 22 November 2009

3. The Fashion Surfer Connect to creative cats Sunday, 22 November 2009

So here’s a favourite lesson of mine... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Coming in at #7... Sunday, 22 November 2009

7. Understand where your market is Sunday, 22 November 2009

Interestingly, boardies straddle all of these segments Sunday, 22 November 2009

Core Average Oakleigh surfers consumer Pool Sunday, 22 November 2009

Or if you ain’t the big guy, look to redeﬁne the performance axis Sunday, 22 November 2009

I love this conceptual map... Sunday, 22 November 2009

The way it makes you consider the most relevant performance axis, Sunday, 22 November 2009

understand how well served the market is, Sunday, 22 November 2009

And consider if there is a chance to redeﬁne the performance axis Sunday, 22 November 2009

... Sunday, 22 November 2009

So I’d got to play with all these areas Sunday, 22 November 2009

We’d got some awesome growth Sunday, 22 November 2009

Travelled the world Sunday, 22 November 2009

Mixing work & play Sunday, 22 November 2009

(with lots of play) Sunday, 22 November 2009

But it was feeling a little hollow Sunday, 22 November 2009

My learning had slowed Sunday, 22 November 2009

I was realising that my passion was to... Sunday, 22 November 2009

8. Work on Thinking, not on things Sunday, 22 November 2009

The world is not only changing... Sunday, 22 November 2009

It is changing faster Sunday, 22 November 2009

Accelerating change means... Sunday, 22 November 2009

The things you learn here will me mostly outdated by the time you graduate Sunday, 22 November 2009

Hopefully the thinking will be your take out Sunday, 22 November 2009

You’ll have learned to learn Sunday, 22 November 2009

“it is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change” -Charles Darwin Sunday, 22 November 2009

So just over a year ago Sunday, 22 November 2009

I split Rip Curl Sunday, 22 November 2009

& started some businesses with 2 other partners Sunday, 22 November 2009

We call it Sunday, 22 November 2009

It’s kind of a business incubator Sunday, 22 November 2009

Where we try to Sunday, 22 November 2009

build value Sunday, 22 November 2009

build value from good ideas Sunday, 22 November 2009

These businesses span 3 areas that we believe we have insights in... Sunday, 22 November 2009

1. Healthcare & Industrial products 2. Web Space 3. Step-Up brands Sunday, 22 November 2009

We try to build these businesses: Lean Agile & Flexible Sunday, 22 November 2009

Because we have realised a fundamental truth... Sunday, 22 November 2009

9. The great ideas are usually only obvious in hindsight Sunday, 22 November 2009

For all your planning, theories & efforts... Sunday, 22 November 2009

...you still usually get it wrong. Sunday, 22 November 2009

Then the little thing you never expected much of... Sunday, 22 November 2009

brings home the www.smileyland.com bacon. Sunday, 22 November 2009

My favourite example of this... Sunday, 22 November 2009

is everyone’s favourite example of everything... Sunday, 22 November 2009

We all know it has changed the worlds of Product, Marketing, Business & Brand Sunday, 22 November 2009

And we all knew it was always going to right...? Sunday, 22 November 2009

nope... Sunday, 22 November 2009

When you look in to it... Sunday, 22 November 2009

SEARCH IS COOKED! Passed over by the best VC ﬁrms in the game Sunday, 22 November 2009

While investors had poured in to... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Apple’s Newton Sunday, 22 November 2009

Multi billion dollar satellite phone systems Sunday, 22 November 2009

And American car companies Sunday, 22 November 2009

Great ideas are not obvious (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

So we try not to predict too much (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Instead, we build something cheaply... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

get it to market... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

...and then start our real learning. (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Learning strong theories is important... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

But learning to execute well is a whole other game. (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

So we’re now in this fast learning phase (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Making mistakes again (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

And getting some wins (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

We regularly measure, review, revise (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

And we record or best insights on a crazy document we call the TOE (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

But that’s another lecture... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

The ﬁnal thought I want to leave you with today... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Is more of a vibe than a theory (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

It’s guided by a thought that Seth Godin enunciated well (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

That when someone hires you or your company... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

...it’s more about where you are going rather than where you have been (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

They want to feel that your bus is going somewhere great, (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

and that they have the chance to come along for the ride... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Yet because we are aussies... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

it’s all about understating that... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

10. Under promise, over deliver (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Put yourself in areas that you can get excited about (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

And then get excited (that means work hard) Sunday, 22 November 2009

And then get excited (that means work really hard) Sunday, 22 November 2009

Bud Caddell showed it well (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

when he adapted Good To Great’s Hedgehog (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

to be relevant for the individual... (except in hindsight) Sunday, 22 November 2009

If you’re working at the intersection of your... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Passion, proﬁt & pride Sunday, 22 November 2009

You don’t need to talk it up. Sunday, 22 November 2009

People will know you’re on a great bus, going somewhere fast. Sunday, 22 November 2009

That’s me... Sunday, 22 November 2009

Any questions...? Sunday, 22 November 2009

Or perhaps some silence...? Sunday, 22 November 2009

9 things I’ve learned since uni 1. Learn to fail quickly 2. It’s the question that matters 3. Constraints help deﬁne your opportunities 4. Life is creating yourself, not ﬁnding yourself 5. The Feedback Loop 6. Asking customers is not enough 7. Understand where your market is at 8. Work on thinking, not on things 9. Great ideas are only obvious in hindsight +10. Under promise, over deliver Sunday, 22 November 2009

Or view the whole presentation at: http://www.slideshare.net/afallshaw Sunday, 22 November 2009

9 things I've learned since uni (abridged)

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