An interview with an entrepreneur.

Philip Hayes-St Clair (PHSC) and I share AGSM as our alma mater and recently met on a panel discussing ‘the leap into entrepreneurship’. It was a Q&A session for AGSM alumni to interesting questions at four local founders. Afterwards we agreed to answer the same five questions to help build on the panel discussion. Mine are below and you can read Phil’s here.

PHSC: How does being a “family man” impact you as an entrepreneur?

MM: I am not what I refer to as “family man”. I see “family man” as someone having kids. I know entrepreneurs who are parents. I think it adds a layer of complexity. In saying that, a vital part to being successful in the startup game is to be ruthless around prioritisation. When you have a family, the notion of priorities becomes clearer, I believe. At the end of the day, everyone has various challenges. If you want to succeed, will it and make it happen.

PHSC: What is the funniest thing that has happened at Ureferjobs?

MM: We use mailchimp to send out our newsletters. One of the first times, I sent out our job mail newsletter, I made a silly error. Instead of the first name of the user, the newsletter started off with “Dear FNAME,”. This went to everyone. I then sent it again, apologising for the error. Made the same mistake. It seems silly now but I remember being so irked and anxious about my errors. I sent out the newsletter again. It was titled “Mahesh will not be responsible for sending out the job newsletter anymore…”.

PHSC: You can pick one entrepreneurial stalwart (eg Steve Jobs, Richard Branson) to join the Ureferjobs team. Who and why?

MM: I am very attached to the power and value of design. I would love to have Joe Gebbia as part of our team. He is one of the founders of AirBnB. He comes across as top end designer with a good deal of hustle. If you know of anyone that fits that bill — do let us know.

PHSC: If you had one point of advice for someone considering starting their own venture, what would it be?

MM: If it is a tech startup, learn to code. Otherwise, make sure you are a subject matter expert in the area you are trying to disrupt.

PHSC: Who provides regular inspiration to you (could be an author, personality, friend) to help your deliver on your mission?

MM: My team and my cofounder especially. They rock. My partner. She is awesome.

A very primal reason why I founded Ureferjobs was, to make the world better. I know recruitment, therefore it made sense to create a solution which disrupts that sector. Then the question is why do I want to make the world better?

Well, compared to millions, I have been lucky with the resources and environment I grew up in. It is not ok that there are millions of kids that are born in situations they will struggle in. They did not do anything wrong to deserve that.
Hopefully the positive impact we can make in the talent space will free up resources that can then be utilised for children/those who are born in less favourable conditions.
It is what drives me the most to succeed. We must make the world better.