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Surfing and the Web (Part 2). An Interview with Ben Richardson - Campaign Monitor
Before I stopped writing for The Next Web Australia, I embarked on a series called Surfing and the Web, which aimed to catch up with people involved in the Australian tech startup scene who are also surfers and ask them about Australia’s rich history in surfing and how that relates to our attempts to build a local startup culture.
The first in the series was Rand Leeb du Toit (you can find it here)
The second person I spoke to was Ben Richardson from Freshview / Campaign Monitor one of Australia’s most successful tech startup entrepreneurs. (above is a pic of him, on the right, with fellow co-founder, Dave Greiner)
If you’re into surfing and technology and have thoughts on the topics discussed below, feel free to ping me (@kimheras) as I’d love to continue the series.
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1. How long have you been surfing for?
About 15 years. I spent a fair amount of time down the beach on a bodyboard in my earlier years, but eventually I caved to the torment of my older brother and decided to give a surfboard a go. I wasn’t very successful on my first few surfs, but I kept trying and specifically remember a wave where I did my first little turn. Since then I’ve been hooked and have a hard time going for more than a couple of days without a surf.
2. Why do it?
I surf because it’s really good fun. I enjoy other sports as well, but nothing seems to make me as happy as surfing. Maybe it has something to do with every wave being different. It’s always new and exciting.
Apart from it just being really good fun there’s the social side as well. The majority of my close friends surf so it’s a great way to catch up.
3. Where’s your local surf spot and what are you riding on most days there?
I live in Cronulla so I’ll usually be surfing there most week days. On the weekend I’ll often head down the coast to the beaches around Wollongong where there are a few more options.
If the waves are looking good I’ll grab my 6’ 1” x 18’ 3/8” x 2’ 3/16” by local shaper Dylan Perese. If it’s a bit smaller I’ll take out my 5’ 8” x 19” Lost Rocket which is a little wider and flatter and manages to make the smallest surf fun. I’ve actually got quite a few other boards in between. I could have a slight addiction to surfboards.
4. Surf and tech – not the most common combination. Does your surfing bring something to you as a technology entrepreneur or is it a way to get away from the troubles of the tech world?
To me the main benefit of surfing is the ability to unplug. I spend all day in front of computer, and even when I’m relaxing at home there’s usually an iPad/iPhone/laptop within reach that I can use to check my email (just in case something has come in since I checked it 3 minutes ago). When I’m out in the water that isn’t an option and it’s nice.
5. OK, this last question. It’s a bit long, but worth it:
Australia has several things that give it a competitive advantage in the surfing world but from time to time there have been areas that have produced a glut of champions.
I mean, last year’s Men’s World Champion Mick Fanning and Runner-Up Joel Parkinson as well as women’s world champion Stephanie Gilmore all live and learned to surf within a couple of kilometres of each other on the Gold Coast. The northern beaches of Sydney had a similar run with Damien Hardman, Tom Carroll and Barton Lynch, all northern beaches locals and world champions in the 1980’s.
Do you think it’s possible for Australia to produce similar results in the tech startup world and, if so, where will that world leading Aussie startup hub be based? Or do you think that Australia simply doesn’t have the core components (in surfing terms, the beaches, conditions, cultural history, competition and co-operation etc.) to be a global tech startup hub?
I doubt that Australia can dominate the tech startup world in the short term the way we currently dominate surfing, but I hope that can change. A huge reason for this would just be the numbers. How many startups are formed in Australia last year compared to the US? The difference in population obviously has a huge impact, but I definitely think there is a snowball effect. When you see a startup from your local area succeed, you’re more likely think your startup might actually succeed as well. I’d guess that there are a bunch of Australian startups giving it a go right now because they were inspired by Atlassian - an incredibly successful company started by a couple of kids straight out of Uni. Hopefully a few of those are successful and the snowball gets a little bigger.
For business that are over the initial hump of actually starting, having local entrepreneurs is definitely an advantage. Scott and Mike from Atlassian have been generous enough to give us plenty of advise of the years which has been invaluable. We do talk to entrepreneurs from around the globe at conferences, which is definitely worthwhile, but there are some challenges that are unique to Australian businesses. In an attempt to keep the ball rolling my co-founder and I have been meeting with another Australian startup, PhotoMerchant, on a semi-regular basis so try to pass on any helpful tips we’ve picked up from the last 5 years of running Campaign Monitor.
Even if Australia don’t end up becoming a global tech startup hub, we’re going to produce plenty of awesome companies. In fact, I’d say that’s already happening!
