July 2007
Business Name: Complete Schools
What is your business all about?
I write, publish and distribute educational study aids for students of all ages. I currently sell three educational products – a Maths textbook, a Physics textbook, and a combined Maths and English textbook and DVD package. The purpose of my products is to give students a way of learning that is just like how another student would explain a topic to them, rather than how a much older teacher or traditional textbook would explain it.
What motivated you to start your business?
I was in second year university and had finished my exams and assignments one week earlier than all of my friends. So I was sitting around bored out of my brains with nothing to do. I’d also been tutoring students part time, and had got to the stage where I was just repeating explanations to each student. So I thought, why not write a book. A week later, I had a rough draft and it all went from there.
How did you manage to secure the support and funding to establish your business?
To publish my first 40 copies of my first book cost about $400. I paid for it out of my savings. Although that probably doesn’t sound like much to many people, at the time it was a significant fraction of my savings, so the whole process was a little bit nerve wracking. Then with the money from those sales, I printed 60 books, then 100, then 200, 300, 1000, and so on…
Did you experience any challenges when setting up your business? If so, what did you learn from them?
One of the biggest challenges was interacting with large business as a complete newcomer. For example, as an unknown 18 or 19-year-old, it was hard to approach large bookstore chains and get them interested in distributing my books, let alone negotiate fair trading terms with them. I learned that sales figures and media attention quickly got most people’s attention.
Other challenges included having to very quickly learn a huge range of skills – writing, editing, proofreading, print production, negotiation, tax, marketing, public relations, just to name a few. Doing all of these gave me great experience and helped me a lot with my later books and expansion around Australia.
What are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned?
Probably the most important lesson I have learned is to cultivate the ability to be simultaneously incredibly confident and yet very self-critical of yourself. If you can get that balance right, then you can achieve anything. Other lessons I’ve learned is that things can always turn out very unexpectedly. For instance, I didn’t expect my books to sell out at Christmas time – I hope the poor kids who got an educational book instead of a toy at Christmas don’t hold a grudge.
What have you had to sacrifice and what have you gained from the experience thus far?
For my most recent Complete School educational package, I had to reduce my social activities somewhat to fit everything in. I was completing a PhD and training to compete in the Australian University Marathon championships, so time was very precious. But I did learn that when everything is ‘clicking’ then you can achieve an incredible amount with your time and energy.
What do you think was important for you to be successful with the business?
My youth was a big factor – starting out at the age of 18, my youth was a selling point which helped me get interest and media attention. Self-confidence was another important factor – without it, there’s no way I would have been able to push through the difficult times when I felt like stopping the whole enterprise.
Do you consider your business to be your biggest personal achievement to date?
I consider personal achievement to be relative to your talents, strengths, and weaknesses. The business, while I am proud of it, and while it did take a lot of commitment and time, wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Within that definition, I guess I would probably put running my first marathon as my biggest personal achievement. I set myself a goal of going from being out of shape to running a sub three hour marathon, in six months. I was happy with how I stuck to the training through everything, and also fought through the pain during the race to get my goal by just 21 seconds!
I guess I’d also list getting my PhD when I was 24, although I wanted to get my PhD when I was 23, so I guess I failed there. But yes, I am proud of the business, but think it’s a very achievable thing for most people.
What do you think it takes to be successful?
Passion for what you do (regardless of what that actually is) and persistence. Talent and brains can facilitate you being successful, but it just won’t happen unless you really want it and are prepared to persist with it until you succeed.
If you had to do it all over again, would you do anything differently?
Listen more to ideas that other people suggested, and investigate the potential of what they are suggesting. Whether their ideas are good or not, you’ll learn a lot.
What advice could you provide for other young people interested in starting their own business?
If you are just interested in gaining experience, then pick something you like, do up a simple business plan, make sure you don’t invest too much of your time or money into it, and go for it! Just make sure you have a clear idea of how to evaluate the success or otherwise of your business after a certain amount of time, otherwise it may drag on and on. Also keep in mind that your life priorities will change.
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