Originally published by Creel Price on LinkedIn: THE ADVERSITY ADVANTAGE – And How We Can Unlock Its Potential.
Last week I was inspired by two entrepreneurs who in vastly different ways have risen above their own circumstances to achieve acclaim their more privileged peers could not. Which got me wondering – is adversity a latent force that when cultivated in the right way can catapult an entrepreneur to success that others with the same business model would unlikely achieve?
Meet Josie Alec. Josie is an aspiring aboriginal entrepreneur and grandmother of six from the Pilbara in Western Australia and is currently undergoing the Investible Indigenous Lab program. With support from Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) Josie is spending eight weeks away from her family to fine tune the business model for her ancient remedy mosquito repellent - which all started with a five day bootcamp in the bush.
Six weeks into the program Josie attended the Angel Pitch conference on Friday to learn how to develop her investor pitch and present to twenty of Australia’s top early stage investors and investor groups including Blackbird, Airtree and Reinventure. To be there was remarkable in itself – to come from such a remote place, and as an aboriginal entrepreneur to suddenly be thrust into a room with over eighty other ambitious entrepreneurs and put under the scrutiny of a high pressure pitch was a big ask. What was more remarkable was what came next. Josie pitched her heart out and was one of eight entrepreneurs accepted into the finals to pitch to four of Australia’s most seasoned early stage investors - Bill Bartee, Amanda Goodman, David Shein and Trevor Folsom.
Without missing a step and in her charming understated way Josie again enthralled the investors with the heritage of her mosquito remedy and how it can change the lives of the millions of people impacted by mosquito bites around the world. To much cheering from her equally inspiring LAB colleagues and a diverse range of dynamic entrepreneurs from Sydney’s startup ecosystem, Josie was then deservedly awarded as one of two winners selected by these esteemed judges. She had come 4,000 km to beat many more privileged than herself by capitalising on her latent talent until recently she didn’t realise she had. Whilst a pitch is only the start of the entrepreneurial journey with encouragement and support Josie can be a world beater – she has endured bigger challenges before.
Tearing up for Josie’s win against the odds came just a day after choking up meeting and hearing the back story of Australia’s recently awarded Kidpreneurs of the Year. Last year Kaos, Ty and Sean were awarded the national winners of the Club Kidpreneur Challenge when they submitted a video about their fishing business – Caplures. Their innovative recycled bottle cap fishing lures having been selling like hot cakes – even at a big brand hardware store. These boys won the competition on their merits without us realising the challenges they face on a daily basis. They come from Coopernook Primary School one of the most disadvantaged areas near Taree on the mid north coast. Yet these primary kids have risen above their circumstances and are now role models not just in their own school and community but for thousands of students around Australia.