Thinking Digital Conference: Top tips from a digital giant

May 15 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

YOUNG online firms in the region were today given a crash-course in making it big by one of the North East’s most successful digital businesses.

The closing session of the Thinking Digital conference played host to Andy Redfern of Ethical Superstore – the Gateshead-based firm which, in just three years, has grown into a far-reaching multinational with 150,000 customers.

As around 300 delegates looked on at The Sage – many of which were budding entrepreneurs with big ambitions for their digital ideas – Mr Redfern laid out his tips for success.

His top ten tips, which have helped grow his workforce from a handful of people to 50, are:

1. Losing control of your business is a myth. I always hear small businesses saying they don’t want to grow because they think they will lose control of their business. You never have complete control of your business in the first place.

2. Do what you say you are going to do and everyone will be happy, but make sure you get it right when you first say what you are going to do.

3. If things don’t go to plan – which they probably won’t – the best thing to do is to let everyone know before, during and after.

4. You have to have some degree of discipline. If you don’t know where you are going when then you will never know when you get there.

5. Your idea is important but whatever that idea is, it’s not as important as you – make sure you remember that.

6. Embrace the challenging. Love the hard questions and re-state the obvious if people ask you the same things over and over again. It will help you realise if you have made a mistake.

7. Running a business is about selling, no matter what you may think – learn to love selling.

8. If you are an ideas person, a lot of your ideas will stink. Learn to quickly separate the good ideas from the bad or the wheat from the chaff.

9. Love your competitors and learn from their successes and failures.

10. Remember your to-do list is never complete.