Building What Matters

Entrepreneurship has been a thread running through much of my life. As a teenager, I was DJing and sound-mixing for bands in pubs and clubs in the UK, learning to read a room, manage cash flow, and keep clients happy before I even knew what “entrepreneurship” meant. Later, I started a computer hardware company, navigating logistics, customer service, and technical problem-solving. Before moving to Canada, I lived in Australia, working with the non-profit organisation Youth With a Mission (YWAM). There, I learned about purpose and the power of helping others discover and live out their purpose in life, deeply shaped by studying The Purpose Driven Life, which became foundational in clarifying my own mission. In Canada, I built a home-based web development business while also working with USANA Health Sciences, learning about network marketing, customer care, and resilience. Today, leading Agronomix in France, I see entrepreneurship in every conversation with plant breeders and business leaders as we discuss collaboration. I see it in every improvement we deliver through Genovix, and in supporting my wife’s entrepreneurial journey—from photography in Canada and France to Matterport scanning and real estate across Languedoc.

What is Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship isn’t always about building the next tech unicorn. Sometimes it’s about building what matters in your community, your family, and your industry. This series captures what I’ve learned, and what I continue to learn, from both personal and professional experiences, offering practical insights for anyone looking to lead with purpose, innovation, and courage.

Defining Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is the commercialisation of an innovative new product or service by risking capital, career and/or reputation on starting a new or developing an existing venture.
The result of which is the creation of new value (wealth and/or change) for the individual, organisation and/or society.

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🧠 Post 1 – What Really Makes an Entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurship is often misunderstood as simply starting a business, but it’s much deeper than that. In this post, we explore how entrepreneurs identify opportunities, take risks, and create value, regardless of industry or business size. It challenges the reader to reflect on whether they are truly building what matters and highlights the real work of entrepreneurship—solving meaningful problems with courage and creativity.

Reflecting on my own journey, I didn’t always think of myself as an entrepreneur. From DJing to selling computer hardware, what I was really doing was learning to create value, manage relationships, and take responsibility for outcomes. Those early experiences shaped how I lead and build today, reinforcing that entrepreneurship is a mindset and a practice, not just a job title.

👉 Read it here

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🧠 Post 2 – Innovation at the Core

Innovation is the engine that drives entrepreneurship forward. This post explores why continuous improvement isn’t enough and how entrepreneurs must embrace true innovation to create lasting impact. It highlights how innovation requires curiosity, courage, and the willingness to step into the unknown to test, fail, learn, and adapt.

In my work with Agronomix, I see how innovation directly impacts our clients, helping them analyse breeding data more effectively, reduce waste, and improve food systems globally. Innovation has also been at the heart of my family’s journey, whether it’s supporting my wife’s creative ventures in photography and real estate or rethinking how we serve clients across cultures and industries.

👉 Read it here

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🧠 Post 3 – Born or Made?

Are entrepreneurs born with something special, or can entrepreneurship be developed through experience? This post examines the traits and mindsets that define entrepreneurs while debunking the myth of the “natural entrepreneur.” It encourages readers to see that entrepreneurship is accessible, learnable, and refined through challenges and opportunities.

I’ve often found that what people see as “natural” in entrepreneurs is often the result of years of practice, failures, and learning to navigate uncertainty. My path from small businesses in the UK to building new projects in Canada and France was filled with lessons that shaped how I think and lead today. It wasn’t in my DNA; it was in the choices I made along the way.

👉 Read it here

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🧠 Post 4 – Why Most Entrepreneurs Don’t Work Alone

The myth of the lone entrepreneur is compelling but unrealistic. This post dives into why collaboration, partnerships, and supportive networks are vital for building successful ventures. It explores how co-founders, mentors, and aligned teams contribute to long-term resilience and growth.

Whether in my own journey or supporting my wife’s entrepreneurial pursuits, I’ve seen that building with others accelerates progress. At Agronomix, collaboration with a global team and with our clients has led to breakthroughs that would never have happened alone. Community and teamwork are not optional extras; they are essential ingredients in meaningful entrepreneurship.

👉 Read it here

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🧠 Post 5 – From Vision to Execution: Why Strategy Matters

Vision is essential, but without execution, it remains a dream. This post explains why strategy is the bridge between vision and real-world outcomes, offering frameworks and practices that help entrepreneurs move from ideas to impactful action while avoiding chaos and distraction.

In entrepreneurship, I’ve learned the hard way that doing “everything” is not the same as moving forward strategically. From planning product development at Agronomix to managing my time supporting my wife’s business, strategy has been the tool that ensures our vision translates into clear steps and measurable results.

👉 Read it here

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🧠 Post 6 – Entrepreneurial Mindset: Resilience, Curiosity, and Action

Skills and knowledge matter, but mindset shapes outcomes. This post explores how resilience, curiosity, and action define successful entrepreneurs, guiding them through setbacks, market changes, and the daily challenges of building something meaningful.

Resilience helped me keep going when projects failed or challenges felt overwhelming. Curiosity has driven improvements in our software and services, while action—taking the next step, even when uncertain—has been key to progress in every venture I’ve been part of. These traits are available to anyone willing to develop them intentionally.

👉 Read it here

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🧠 Post 7 – Embracing Risk: Why Entrepreneurs Must Choose Uncertainty

Risk is not a flaw of entrepreneurship; it’s a requirement. This post explains how entrepreneurs can evaluate, embrace, and manage risk to fuel innovation and growth while distinguishing calculated risk from recklessness.

From launching new services to supporting family businesses across different countries, risk has been part of every step I’ve taken. The key has been learning to manage it, take action, and see risk as a gateway to opportunity, not something to be avoided.

👉 Read it here

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🧠 Post 8 – The Role of Purpose in Entrepreneurship: Building Beyond Profit

Profit sustains a business, but purpose sustains the people building it. This final post explores why purpose matters in entrepreneurship, how it drives clarity and resilience, and how it helps entrepreneurs build ventures that outlast them.

Purpose has guided me in each transition, from small ventures in my youth to the work we do today with plant breeders. It has kept my family’s businesses aligned with what matters most, shaping decisions and clarifying what to say “yes” to in seasons of opportunity and challenge.

👉 Read it here