In this episode of the Sprint Hard, Iterate Fast podcast, I chat with Joanna Auburn, the co-founder and chief product officer at Trace, a climate tech platform driving businesses towards net-zero goals.   Joanna shifted to tech early in her career from a Civil and Structural Engineering degree. With a background in product management and a passion for sustainability, Joanna shares valuable insights for aspiring product managers, highlighting the importance of problem-solving skills, adaptability in a startup environment, and seeking mentorship to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship. Joanna also emphasizes the unique perks offered at Trace, such as flexibility and opportunities for rapid personal and professional growth, making it an exciting option for those looking to break into the tech industry.   “feel empowered by problems rather than overwhelmed by them because you're gonna face them every day” – Joanna Auburn   ---This Episode Content------- 00:24 - Joanna explains how her climate tech platform empowers businesses to reach net zero 01:07 - Joanna’s experience running a sustainable business and their desire to democratize sustainability 05:42 - Joanna’s journey in product management 07:40 - Tips for transitioning into product management 08:30 - Product management is different in banking vs. tech  10:09 - Product management is beneficial but also limiting for entrepreneurs 13:00 - Transition from product management to entrepreneurship 16:20 - Shoutout to Jacquie, Head of Customer Success at Trace Connect with Joanna Auburn LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannaauburn/ Trace on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-trace/ Trace Website – https://www.our-trace.com Trace Linktree - https://linktr.ee/our_trace/ Trace Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/our_trace/?hl=en   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/     Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/ ‍   Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

In this episode of the Sprint Hard, Iterate Fast podcast, I chat with Ben Berger, the Chief Product Officer at Wisr, a non-bank lender based in Sydney, Australia. Ben discusses his shift to tech from studying psychology to entering the tech industry, where he found his passion in product management. Ben emphasizes the importance of experimentation, innovation, and disrupting the status quo in the financial industry. Ben reflects on his challenges, including staying in a comfortable but stagnant role for too long and being let go from a dysfunctional organization. Ben advises aspiring product management and tech professionals to step out of their comfort zones, thoroughly research companies, and come prepared with data showcasing their achievements during interviews.   03:43 Experimentation culture at Wisr 05:41 Ben's journey to becoming the Chief Product Officer at Wisr 07:27 Ben’s global product management career 10:53 Staying at a company for too long 12:47 Get out of your comfort zone to grow professionally. 14:56 An unhappy career time that turned out to be the best thing 28:25 How to stand out: Research the company, try out the product   Connect with Ben Berger Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benberger/ Wisr Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wisr-australia/ Wisr Website - https://wisr.com.au/ Wisr Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wisraustralia Wisr Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wisraustralia/ Wisr Linktree:  https://linktr.ee/wisr   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/      Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/   Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420    Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Disrupting the market is the reason many tech start-ups begin. The founder sees a solution to a problem and gets creating. But what does that creative process actually look like?   In this episode Jeremy Goldschmidt, founder of RentBetter, talks about how not even he really understood what the final product would be until he got people testing it. He talks about the importance of iterating quickly and where his product disrupts the market. He also gives insight into what it takes to work at RentBetter.   Jeremy Goldschmidt is the CEO at RentBetter, and a self-managing property owner. He founded RentBetter in 2016. At the time, RentBetter was a bit of a ‘side hustle’ while he continued work at ANZ. He started RentBetter as a solution to empower all property owners to self-manage their own properties, saving time, saving money, and gaining control over their investments.   “If you don't iterate quickly, within a small spectrum of work you tend to lose out.” – Jeremy Goldschmidt   Timestamps   00:56 - What is RentBetter? 1:25 - Moving away from the property management model? 4:30 - How the platform became disruptive in the market? 7:43 - How did you get the idea for RentBetter? 13:44 - The importance of iterating quickly 16:17 - What does failure look like to a start-up leader? 19:22 - How did Jeremy end up where he is now? 25:15 - Making it work for the customer and the team 28:43 - Shout out to the RentBetter team 32:06 - Three pieces of advice for working at Rent Better Connect with Jeremy Goldschmidt:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-goldschmidt-6406ba2/?originalSubdomain=au RentBetter on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/rentbetter/ RentBetter Website - https://rentbetter.com.au/ RentBetter Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Rentbetter.com.au/ RentBetter YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMCGmf2ZSJlh2BIithsNn8A   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/      Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/   Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Drawing from conversations with seven startup founders who collectively raised over $100 million, Reggie shares essential tips on standing out and securing top tech roles. In this episode of The Sprint Hard, Iterate Fast Podcast, gain expert insights and valuable strategies to succeed in the fast-paced tech job market.Discover the importance of self-awareness in defining your career journey and learn how to showcase quantifiable achievements to differentiate yourself from the competition. These valuable job search strategies will boost your confidence and increase your chances of landing career-making opportunities with leading tech companies worldwide. Understanding Your Career Journey Differentiating Yourself from the Competition Unconventional Strategies for Success Embrace Feedback and Adaptability Be Proactive in Your Job Search Leverage Your Self-Awareness Passion and Instinct for Success Find the Right Fit in Company Culture Broaden Your Knowledge and Experience Excel in Job Interviews Connect with Reggie James: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/     Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/ ‍ Resources: Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

The work landscape in the tech industry is broad and challenging. The ability to succeed in it requires a resilient mindset and the willingness to learn new skills. Everyone, all the way up to the CEOs of the biggest tech companies need to be able to learn from their mistakes and hold their hands up when they happen. This is the only way to create a positive culture.   In this episode James Fuller, the Co-Founder and CEO of Hnry, discusses how he and his wife Claire created Hnry after being self-employed. He gives insight into what it takes to make it in the tech industry, from your first role up to becoming a CEO. He shares his own mistakes on this journey and the importance of showing contrition as a CEO. He also tells us about the successes of his own team and the perks of working for Hnry.   “It's as much about learning from your failures, as it is about celebrating even the tiniest win that happens.” – James Fuller   Timestamps   1:15 - What is Hnry and where did the idea come from? 6:42 - How did you get started in software development? 13:30 - The importance of having a broad range of skills. 16:22 - Be ready to have your resilience tested. 19:03 – Why showing contrition creates a positive culture. 21:31 – The contribution of the Hnry team 24:04 - Unique or unconventional perks at Hnry.   Connect with James Fuller:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwfuller/?originalSubdomain=nz Hnry on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hnry/ Hnry Website - https://hnry.co/au/ Hnry Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hnryau/ Hnry Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hnryau/   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/      Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/   Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Taking the leap from employee to founder is no easy feat. Mickael Roger’s path to becoming a tech founder was one he felt he was always meant to take. His winding journey from employee to consultant led him to create the tech company PropHero.   In this episode Mickael discusses the experiences that brought him to this point as well as what it takes to maintain positive and productive cultures in tech. He also gives insight to everyone looking to become employees at PropHero.   Mickael Roger is co-founder and co-CEO of PropHero, a data-driven digital platform for property investment. PropHero helps you find, buy and manage the best investment properties. Before founding PropHero, Mickael was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he was leading the Data & Artificial Intelligence practice, serving clients in the Telco/Media/Tech, Private Equity and Financial Services industries.   “Everything that I have learned had a meaning and is helpful to me today.” – Mickael Roger   Timestamps   1:44 - What is PropHero? 4:10 - Product data, global data, and products 6:18 - Experimentation in product development? 8:52 - Mickael’s journey to becoming a tech founder? 14:13 - Mickael’s advice to his younger self? 17:00 - How to maintain a positive and productive culture 19:22 - How the team shapes company culture 22:24 - Benefits Mickael offers his employees? 24:19 – Advice for those who want to work at PropHero   Connect with Mickael Roger:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickaelyroger/ PropHero on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/propheroinvestment/ PropHero Website - https://prophero.com.au/ PropHero YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChfQGfuICAOyTpu2JsDOR0A PropHero Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PropHeroInvestment/ PropHero Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/prophero.investments/   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/      Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/   Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Ideas are powerful things that can bring people together to create something greater than any individual could. Having people around you that you can trust to be able to test ideas with that may fail before you succeed is crucial. Saad Ifrani went through exactly this while setting up the tech company Eclipse AI, so is the perfect guest to talk you through the challenges of creating a tech start up.   Saad Ifrani is the co-founder of Eclipse AI, a plug-and-play AI platform that helps SMEs predict and prevent churn. Prior to Eclipse AI, he was a management consultant and investment banker.   “The challenges you're going to face together as a team, it's going to test everything.” – Saad Irfani   Timestamps   01:38 - How did Saad get into the tech space? 06:59 - The best advice he’s received in his career 10:04 - Coming together as a team around an idea 14:41 - How Eclipse AI came to be? 17:09 - What is the biggest player in the market? 21:54 - Lean principles don’t fit with the lean startup 24:14 - Where’s the line between wild and bold claims? 31:58 - Three pieces of advice for aspiring employees.   Connect with Saad Irfani:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saad-irfani-84588a88/ Eclipse AI Website - https://eclipse-ai.com/ Eclipse AI on LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/company/the-eclipse-ai Eclipse AI on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TryEclipseAI   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/      Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/   Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Building the right team of people is important to the success of any company. But how do you know who the right people are? Erin Living Technologies CEO Thomas Walkley shares his insights on how to get it right and create a team full of belief in the company goals.   Thomas Walkley is pioneering the future of multi-residential living through his work as CEO of Erin Living Technologies. Thomas has now built 4 companies from the ground up with over 15 years in the property and real estate sector. He is all about creating cultures where people flourish.   “I don't think we've made a bad hire in our business, which is a testament to our instinct with people.” – Thomas Walkley   Timestamps   7.08 – Differences between local and international competitors 10.14 – How has the market reacted to what you are doing? 12.45 – Balancing experimentation with product delivery 15.36 – How to build a talented team full of belief 20.35 – How to find passionate people 23.23 – The importance of a team mentality   Connect with Thomas Walkley:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaswalkley/?originalSubdomain=au Erin Living Technologies Website - https://www.erinliving.com/ Erin Living Technologies on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/erinliving/ Erin Living Technologies on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/erin__living/ Erin Living Technologies on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/erinapp.com.au   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/      Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/     Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420     Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

The key thing for any company is to recognise the problems that exist in a market then be able to create solutions to fix them. 6clicks have created innovative solutions using AI to do just that. Anthony Stevens discusses how to balance innovation and customer demand as well as advice to people looking to join 6clicks.   Anthony Stevens is the CEO & Co-founder of 6clicks. With a mission to build truly great software to help communities of partners and customers with risk and compliance. Anthony is also the author of Chasing Digital: A Playbook for the New Economy and co-founder of several start-ups.   “We wanted to build something really fast and contemporary” – Anthony Stevens   Timestamps   6.27 – Discover the origins of 6clicks 8.54 – Why Hub & Spoke architecture is appealing to large enterprises 13.41 – How 6clicks got started with AI 19.55 – Find out how to balance customer demands with innovation needs 24.02 – Advice for people wanting to join 6clicks   Connect with Anthony Stevens:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/antpstevens/?originalSubdomain=au YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtIt5JmBpzqgHCUWQbGnHzA 6clicks Website - https://www.6clicks.com/ 6clicks on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/6clicks/   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/      Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/ Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/     Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Read Anthony Steven’s book Chasing Digital: A Playbook for the New Economy - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Digital-Playbook-New-Economy/dp/0730358631   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Hearing “No” to your ideas is something that all start-up Founders go through. In this episode you will discover how moving forward despite hearing “No” is what makes or breaks a Founder and that making fast decisions can set you up for success. Tom also reveals how it’s possible to progress to senior roles without experience.   Tom Dreyfus is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Josef and leads the company strategy and global relationships with customers and technology partners. Tom has worked as a solicitor, served as an associate at the High Court of Australia and was also a founding member of the Columbia Law School Legal Technology Association.   “Building a successful start-up is all about taking risk” – Tom Dreyfus   Timestamps   6.11 - Don’t take no for an answer.   13.37 - Balancing careful planning and bold decisions.   19.18 - The shift from hyper-growth to sustainable growth.   26.48 - How employees and teams can drive growth in their own ways.   31.22 - How to progress without experience   34.34 - Tom’s advice for people applying to work at Josef.   Connect with Tom Dreyfus:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-dreyfus/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/joseflegal Josef Website - https://joseflegal.com/ Josef on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/joseflegal/   Connect with Reggie James:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginaldljames/  Beaker & Flint Website - https://www.beakerandflint.com/  Beaker & Flint on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beaker-flint/     Resources:   Order The Resilient Scaleup by Reggie James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BR3CBFQK?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420   Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!