ACERE (Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange) Conference Presentation 4 February 2020 Flinders University

1. Why 99% Of Founders Fail…
(And It’s Not Why You Think!)

2. How many educators are here?
*Setting up a business for profit.
Can entrepreneurship* be taught?

3. Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?
• Yes!
• There are skills
unique to
entrepreneurship
that need to be
acquired.

4. Are
Entrepreneurs
Made Or Born?
*Entrepreneur = the
person who sets up
a business for profit.
• Born!
• But, anyone can
benefit from
learning skills of
entrepreneurship.

5. This presentation will go
through the key skills
successful founders
(entrepreneurs) have!

6. But first we need to go back in time….

7. When I was A Kid…
• Ice hockey
• (And drums)

8. Hmmm…
• Pocket money = limited
earning capacity
• A business = unlimited earning
capacity

9. My First Business!
• 12 years old
• Selling sports cards
• To people 3x my age!

12. What I Realised…
• I was born an
entrepreneur!!!
• I just needed to learn
the skills
(entrepreneurship).

13. The Puzzle With No Box!

14. Started 18 businesses and had 12 jobs over
24 years. Most in marketing and sales:
• Hospitality
• Delivery
• Recycling
• Memorabilia
• Sponsorship
• Web Development
• Books
• Fandom
• Music
• Retail
• Agriculture
• Marketplace
• Charity
• Banking
• Entertainment
• Training
• Health & Safety
• Hobbies
• Not-For-Profit
• Solar
• Augmented Reality
• Software
• Mobile
• Education
• Adult Products
• Agency

15. Teaching
1. Startup Weekend.
2. Venture Dorm.
3. Regulating Small
Business.
4. Regulating Technology.
5. New Venture Design and
Creation.
6. Start-up Ventures.
7. Enterprise and
Innovation Project.
8. Innovative and Creative
Thinking.
9. Going Live.

16. Teaching
• No high success rate of
viable enterprises!
• How do we change this
and get better
outcomes?

17. Standard Methodologies…

18. For entrepreneurs and
entrepreneurship…
Teach foundational
skills:
1. How to talk to
people.
2. How to overcome
fear of rejection.
3. How to see the
perspective others.
4. How to sell.

19. Testing The Methodology
• Noticed comments on
social media.
• 7-day challenge.
• $10 to enrolled.
• 7 associates joined.
• I guessed the winner
before it started.
• 1 completed all tasks –
won the prize money –
who I predicted.
• Not all are successes – we
know this already!
• It screens for students to
invest your time.

20. But, But, But!
“I don’t know how to get
students to learn to talk to
people, overcome their fear
of rejection, see the
perspectives of others and
to sell!”

21. Task 1 - Day 1
How to talk to
people & how to
overcome the fear
of rejection.
Get your students
to ask for a
discount on their
next purchase.

22. Task 2 - Day 2
How to overcome fear of
rejection.
Get your students to contact
any “celebrity” they admire
and ask that celebrity
something.

24. Task 3 - Days 3,4,5
How to overcome fear of
rejection
Get your students to ask
3 strangers what the
strangers dislike about
the outfit the student is
wearing.

25. Task 4 - Day 6
How to see the
perspectives of others.
•Get students to scroll
through their social
media looking for people
asking for help.

26. Task 5 - Day 7
How to sell.
Get your students to
complete the task they
offered for at least $1.

27. But, But, But!
“I now know the
content, but it
cannot fit in our
existing
curriculum or
topics!”

28. It Doesn’t!!!

29. So, Your Plan Is To:
1. Run it before it starts as stand
alone mini-course.
2. Run it in parallel with your
Topic.
*1 is always better as lays the
foundation.

30. The Future Of
Entrepreneurial Education?
• This is why 99% of founders fail:
1. Don’t know how to talk to people.
2. Can’t overcome their fear of rejection.
3. Can’t see others perspectives.
4. Don’t know how to sell.
• If you can skill students in those 5
tasks, we can increase the success rate
of enterprises to >1% using:
• Design Thinking.
• Lean.
• Agile.

31. My Offer To You
•If want a further details
of those 5 tasks…
•…Give me your
business card and I will
send them to you.