Adam Walsh is the Co-Founder & Managing Director at Australian resortwear startup Skwosh, where he’s responsible for managing the company’s global brand.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I am the co-founder and managing director at Australian resortwear startup Skwosh. I’m responsible for managing Skwosh’s global brand, which includes retail and wholesale partnerships, corporate strategy and marketing.
Prior to establishing Skwosh, I worked in brokerage operations at Nabtrade and is a part time bookmaker at the racetrack. I’m also a board advisor to Hong Kong startup Wine Brothers and a freelance marketing consultant for early stage startups.
2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I’m up pretty early, I quickly check any urgent emails and messages and then get stuck into some exercise. I find this gives me a solid amount of time to think about my day ahead, anything I need to accomplish and problem solve.
When I get into the office, I usually have a coffee with the team and run through what the day ahead looks like and troubleshoot any outstanding issues.
In the afternoon I’m normally in meetings with suppliers, as they’re based across Asia, but I try to allocate an hour each day to brainstorming marketing ideas with the team. We get a lot out of discussing ideas and I think saying your ideas out loud encourages my colleagues to think outside of the box and be more creative.
Given the current situation with COVID19, a lot of my time is now being allocated to digital strategy which has become a core focus for us, such as investing and driving digital engagement through platforms like Facebook, Instagram and email marketing.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
I’m really lucky with running my own business as it allows me to work from anywhere. Although the flexibility is great, I tend to perform better sticking to routine and prefer to have daily interactions with my colleagues. We’ve been maintaining that over the past couple of months as well.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Work-life balance to me is all about working smarter and sticking to my parameters, so that I can spend more time with the people I love and doing the things that make me happy.
I keep myself in a routine, set goals and stick to them. It’s difficult to shut off at night sometimes, especially running my own business with a to-do list that never ends, but I know I’m no good if I don’t get enough rest and spend time with friends and family.
These are all equal parts to what makes me good at my work, happy and healthy, so they all deserve equal attention and time in my life.
5) What do you think are some of the best habits or routines that you’ve developed over the years to help you achieve success in your life?
Definitely getting up early and exercising to get my brain started. I also think goal setting is very important, whether it’s for the day, month or year!
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Book:
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE – the story of how Phil Knight started Nike. A must-read for any budding entrepreneur, particularly those with a retail brand.
Podcast:
Foundr – Nathan Chan runs a weekly Podcast where he interviews different founders. The podcast provides some great insight into startup lifestyle, life as an entrepreneur and tips for those trying to make a start.
Newsletter:
Smart Company – provides great insight into the Australian startup ecosystem and is a useful resource for learning new things, from what other businesses are doing well and keeping up to date with what’s happening in the wider industry.
7) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
Get up early. More time in the day allows me get through the tasks I set myself without being interrupted, and gives me the flexibility to spend more time with family and friends.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
Mark Bouris – I was lucky enough to meet Mark at a networking event when I was 19. He really made an impression on me and many of the key lessons he talked about stuck – largely around discipline, goal setting and persistence.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Remember to enjoy what you’re doing, lots of people get lost with what they’ve set out to do, they get distracted or do things for the wrong reasons. Remember to have fun along the way and surround yourself with good people who provide support but aren’t afraid to be honest with you.
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