Episode Summary:
Alex Carpenter is the founder (or as he puts it, the “Initial Nudger, Steward and Groundskeeper”) of The Guild of Entrepreneurs, an independent organisation that draws on Alex’s experience, as well as that of many mentors within Australia’s startup ecosystem, to support entrepreneurs. Before starting The Guild of Entrepreneurs, Alex founded half a dozen companies, including Citrus WA, a hospitality supplier, and Atlas Events, which organises community events to promotes affordable opportunities for people to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. In his conversation with Adam, Alex discusses how Australia’s startup ecosystem is radically more cooperative and collaborative than in corporate settings, as well as his belief that Australia needs to get better at providing entrepreneurial role models to kids in order to promote startups as a viable career opportunity.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:19 Introduction of Alex Carpenter
00:31 Alex's Passion for Supporting Entrepreneurs
01:52 Discovering What You're Built For
02:50 Early Entrepreneurial Ventures
03:25 Transition to Mentoring and Teaching
04:00 The Birth of the Guild of Entrepreneurs
05:55 The Role of Community in the Startup Ecosystem
07:20 Insights on the Culture of Goodwill
08:05 Noticing the Startup Community in Sydney
09:38 The Importance of Entrepreneurs Reaching Out
12:28 Gaps in the Startup Ecosystem
13:59 Role Modeling for Future Entrepreneurs
14:25 What the Ecosystem is Doing Well
17:25 Advice for New Founders
19:06 Collaboration Among Ecosystem Stakeholders
20:21 Closing Remarks