Ed Bussey - @Ed_bussey
Ed Bussey has had success with ventures such as Figleaves (the underwear brand) and now runs Quill, a content creation business he founded in 2010 which oversees a global network of over 2,000 writers, editors, designers and video producers.
Highlights
I never set out to be an entrepreneur if I am honest. I have always followed interesting opportunities, one thing has led to another and now I have found myself on my third start up and I love what I do.
I ended up being one of five finalists of the Young Entrepreneur of the Year business competition in my second year of university – I found myself in a conference of 2000 people from around the world who were either setting up or had set up successful businesses. I thought: I'm going to give this a shot.
It doesn't matter how good the idea is, unless you surround yourself with great people who can work effectively as a team, you are really not going to get anywhere.
Many principles I learned in the Forces like setting a vision, allocating responsibility so everybody knows what they are doing and clear open communication have been very relevant in a business environment.
The day to day challenges of building any start-up are incredibly hard and sometimes stressful so it's important to keep an eye on the big picture. When you are looking at other businesses you learn a lot.
It became clear to me that more and more companies who are trying to sell and promote products and services on the web needed to become a lot more like publishers. The demand for content was beginning to grow.
We are seeing very big brands shifting their budgets from traditional media, even on-line media, across to content as a form of engagement with their customer. That's the wave we are riding.
I do believe in living life to the full and seeing your potential through.
I am a big believer in getting the work- life balance right. I find taking time out in the wilderness and mountains really inspiring and I can't get enough of it.