Matthew Draycott (3 August 2016)

Matthew believes that to be entrepreneurial, individuals need to have a fluid identity in order to be able to communicate well with other people. It is important to have a broad base of skills, experience and to be context-specific so that you’re able to make the best decisions possible for your business. Successful entrepreneurs are emotionally intelligent and risk positive by taking calculated risks. This is a vital skill for all entrepreneurs because if you buckle to your own emotions, it may cause you to take decisions with higher risk attached to them and result in negative outcomes.

Matthew has learnt to examine life through an entrepreneurial lens which has enabled him to see opportunities, which has led to him starting 10 businesses along his entrepreneurial journey. The biggest failure in Matthew’s experiences was employing the wrong kind of people for his business. He says it’s extremely important to find the correct people who fit into the culture of each of your businesses and not to compromise for any other individual, as those people who don’t fit into the surrounding culture end up disrupting those who are around them. Before Matthew took any opportunity and formed any business, he would analyse each situation and assess all the risks that are present. Once he was satisfied with an opportunity that presented minimal risk, he would take it and start a business.

Understanding yourself is absolutely key to all entrepreneurs. Matthew understands himself to be an ‘outsider’ which has helped him identify opportunities that most people don’t see as he has been able to have a different perspective on various things in life in comparison to the majority of people. Simply asking yourself what are your strengths and weaknesses and then analysing your answers may help you to understand more about yourself.

Based on a report by Phillip Schwartz