How I Succeeded is a regular series on Lifehacker where we ask business leaders for the secrets and tactics behind their success. Today: Dr Matthew McDougall from Digital Jungle.
Current gig: CEO and founder of Digital Jungle
Location: Sydney, Australia (but frequently travels to China)
Current mobile device: iPhone 6
Current computer: 15-inch Macbook Pro Retina (16GB RAM)
One word that best describes how you work: Passionate
What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?
Multiple monitors. I like to be working on multiple things at once and need to have everything spread out in front of me.
What social network do you find the most useful?
What were the most important lessons you learned while growing your business?
There are no exacts when starting a business and one lesson passed on maybe completely irrelevant but here are a few of my guiding principles:
- If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it. You must love what you do.
- Be innovative: Create something different that will stand out.
- Your employees are your best asset. Happy employees make for happy customers.
- Lead by listening: Get feedback from your staff and customers on a regular basis.
- Be visible: Market the company and its offers by putting yourself or the company in front of the (social) media.
What has been the most surprising part of your business journey?
Creating something is very rewarding and quite addictive. Looking back, I would never have expected to have enjoyed starting a new venture so much and watching others being drawn into this with equally as much passion.
What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?
Troubleshooting
What’s your sleep routine like?
I like to get seven to eight hours.
What advice would you offer to other businesses on how to succeed?
Starting and running a successful business can be rewarding and challenging. Success requires focus, discipline and perseverance. However, success will not come over night – it requires a long-term focus and that you remain consistent in challenging environments.
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