According to Exploding Topics (latest data in 2023), 90% of startups fail. Wait, let’s break it down. “Nine out of every ten startups crash and burn. But, hang on! Wasn't the dream to be the next, dare I say it, Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos?” Surprised? But this is just the start of our harsh and enlightening ride. Think about it. You have your perfect product in mind, the dream team lined up, your business plan readied, investors ready to shower you with their money, and you even have the departmental desk color scheme sorted (we all know that's important). Yet despite all this, you are more likely to fail than to succeed – hard pill to swallow, right? Grit your…
Rooted Leadership: What Business Can Learn from the Natural World The modern business landscape pushes for relentless acceleration, propelled by an undercurrent of continuous innovation, rapid scaling, and an 'always-on' operational mindset. Leaders are under pressure to deliver continuous growth and chase new milestones which often inadvertently cultivate a "hustle" culture. However, this pursuit of acceleration exacts a heavy toll: employee burnout, resource depletion, and a struggle for sustained relevance. We have collectively fallen for the myth of endless productivity, believing that the more efficient our processes, the more work we can (and should) undertake. This mindset traps us in a loop of constant doing, neglecting the essential value of pause, renewal, and strategic timing. In contrast, the natural world…
Richmond Associates: Connecting People to Purpose, Not Just Jobs Recruitment is often reduced to speed and scale, but Richmond Associates stands apart. Founded on a simple but powerful insight—that purpose matters as much as skill—the firm has quietly redefined what executive search can and should be. Specialising in recruiting, fundraising, advancement and engagement roles across mission-driven non-profit organisations, Richmond Associates do not simply match candidates to job descriptions—they match people to missions. It all started with a question repeatedly asked in different conversations. Friends and colleagues frequently approached Moyra Brown, the Founder of Richmond Associates and a seasoned professional in the sector asking, “Do you know anyone good for this role?” Everyone was struggling with the same challenge: finding the…
How a Banker Turned Fund Manager Built a Billion-Dollar Portfolio In the Global Financial Crisis? In the world of investing, some of the most successful ventures are born in the most uncertain times. For Christopher (Chris) Cheah, Founder and Executive Chairman of TrustCapital, the decision to strike out on his own in the midst of the 2009 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) was not one of recklessness, but of calculated conviction. Today, his firm stands as a respected name in private equity real estate, with a track record that includes the acquisition of eight prime office buildings in Australia and assets under management peaking at more than AUD 1.6 billion. This is the story of how Chris, a banker turned fund…
Image by rudall30 via Shutterstock Remember back in 2013, when venture capitalist and founder of Cowboy Ventures, Aileen Lee, coined a specific term to represent a distinctive class of start-ups that were breaking the norms and catching the eye of investors worldwide? That's right, the label 'unicorn' was born. In the world of business, a unicorn isn't a mythical creature fresh out of a fantasy novel. Rather, it is an exceptional title granted to private companies or startups valued over a whopping $1 billion. Just as elusive and awe-inspiring as their fictional namesakes, these companies embark on the adventurous journey from mere concepts to billion-dollar businesses. But the unicorn landscape has dramatically changed. Seeing a startup reach unicorn status is no longer a rare…
