Tim triumphs in high-tech world BENCHON
TIM WALMSLEY,
It was 1993 when I was 12. I would clean the local cinemas for $20 a weekend.
I joined the army in 2003 and retired as a major in 2015. The army gave me the work ethic, qualifications and experience I needed to jump out into industry and make a career for myself. That then led me to where I am now, the CEO of BenchOn. A non-tech founder in a thoroughly tech world so it makes for exciting times.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
As soon as you hear someone say, ‘that’s just the way it’s always been done’, you need to pounce on it. That means something is not right but it’s also an exciting indicator that spurs innovation.
WHAT YOU WISH YOU KNEW WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED OUT?
My advice to my younger self would be you don’t have to wait for the perfect time to start a business. You just have to give it a go. Especially with the start-up ecosystem being the way it is. There is so much support out there and investment in early stage companies is steadily increasing, so the environment couldn’t be better to take a risk..
YOUR GOLDEN RULE IN BUSINESS?
Whatever service, product, feature, partnership or deal we offer must create a win for our clients, a win for our business and a win for a wider social impact. If it doesn’t, then we either aren’t thinking hard enough or it’s just not worth doing.
A LONG LUNCH – A WASTE OF TIME OR ESSENTIAL? EXPLAIN
I come from a business development background where long lunches were a perk of the job. Now I am a business owner, I am less excited about the cost and loss of time that comes with it, however, under the right circumstances it’s essential.
WHO IS ON YOUR BUSINESS MOBILE’S SPEED DIAL?
Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin, CEO of BlueChilli. BlueChilli is Australia’s largest tech accelerator. Seb is such an approachable CEO and his experience in supporting over 100 start-ups get off the ground is invaluable to me.
IF YOU HAD A SPARE $1M, WHAT INDUSTRY WOULD YOU INVEST IN?
Autonomous vehicles, whether they be cars, trucks, drones or unmanned water vessels. They are the future of transport.
WHAT SHOULD GOLD COAST PRIMARY STUDENTS STUDY?
Things are changing so fast there is no point in stressing over what to learn now. Sure, have a strong foundation in maths, English and science as these are key building blocks in understanding the world around you, but don’t neglect your creative side.
BIGGEST FRUSTRATION DOING BUSINESS ON THE GOLD COAST? AND HOW TO FIX IT?
I think we are missing business hubs that attract larger national businesses that the rest of industry can gravitate towards. We are so spread out on the Coast. No one wants to travel from one end of the coast to the other for a meeting. Let’s choose somewhere as the business centre and build the infrastructure to support it.