SouthStart a pivotal moment for SA
I REMEMBER sitting in my “office” in the garage on Hay Rd, Linden Park in 2006, searching domain names with my brother-in-law for a new “start-up” we were so excited about.
I REMEMBER sitting in my “office” in the garage on Hay Rd, Linden Park, in 2006, with my brother-in-law searching for website domain names for a new start-up company we were so excited about.
We didn’t call it a start-up, because we didn’t know such a thing was a thing, and we weren’t founders, we were just starting a new business.
And although we were filled with hopes and dreams and convinced this idea for an online wine community would change the world, we very soon felt alone, isolated, and way out of our depth.
We felt like we were the only people in the world going through what we were going through.
In the years since then, this incredible ecosystem has blossomed around us all – the start-up world, with all its leaders and feeders, as American entrepreneur Brad Feld so cleverly put it. A global community that anyone with a vision and the drive to bring it to life can be a part of.
It’s extraordinary, it’s empowering, and it’s helpful.
I’ve been in Adelaide for 13 years now, and I’ve seen the Adelaide start-up community come together.
I’ve seen people listening to a talk I’ve given come up to me four years later to tell me about the business they’ve created. I’ve been inspired by someone else’s story. I’ve been privileged to be connected with some extraordinary people who have created wonderful things.
A couple of months ago, I left Vinomofo to start my own new venture, Cult Tribal, and now I’m working with some phenomenal Adelaide companies. I’m working out of co-working spaces, I’m learning and sharing and connecting and finding support from this community, all over again. It’s a hell of a lot easier not doing it alone. And better for the soul.
SouthStart is one of those benchmark moments in the Adelaide start-up community.
I know the people who’ve taken it on — they’re good, and smart. I’ve even seen walls covered in ideas and sticky notes, and I’m excited about it, not only to share my stories, but to share and learn from everyone.
Andre Eikmeier is co-founder of Vinomofo
ABOUT ANDRE
After years of poverty, stupidity, half an accounting degree, a failed family business, an acting career in four out of five of Australia’s worst TV shows, a singing career that never transcended being lead singer in a One Hit Wonders covers band, a failed theatre production company, a one-man video production company that was meant to be a film company but never quite got there, an online wine social site which made absolutely no money, and a year-long kombi wine adventure travelling round the country...André finally launched wine company Vinomofo, and grew it from two founders in their garage to a $100m wine brand, uniting a tribe of passionate wine lovers all around world.
He recently stepped down as CEO to create transformation agency Cult Tribal, to help companies build culture-led brands and unite their own tribes by doing things right. André is a thought sharer and passionate speaker, sharing his learnings from failure, creating a benchmark human culture of love, the importance of standing for something, building tribes, and ultimately the key to happiness.
He is speaking at SouthStart on Friday 23 November.