Episode Notes – Episode 21: Paul Bridgeford
Paul Bridgeford came to Australia in 1971 from Cardiff in Wales. He was a trained metallurgist and worked in the steel industry. After completing a master of science in business, Paul moved to Australia with ACI. He developed and marketing the screw top closure for wine.
Eventually, at the age of 30, he started his business in the area of kitchen renovations. He was a skilled marketeer, but this was his entrée to front line sales.
There is so much more innovation happening in Australia now than 30 years ago. Atlassian, AfterPay, Canva are all global brands that have started their life in the innovative environment in Australia. The shortage of capital was always a barrier to innovation. However, the capital markets are becoming more supportive. Lower interest rates are driving investors to take a bit more risk.
Paul’s advice to young people is to take advantage of an environment open to innovation and change. As an example, the opportunities for innovation related to climate change are enormous.
Most of the great ideas and innovations are coming from energetic young entrepreneurs.