Tell me about Fieldbar.
We noticed that people love gathering outdoors but weren’t in love with their outdoor equipment, especially their cooler boxes. So we set out to change that, bringing together modern design with traditional craftsmanship, and wrapping it in a bold, contemporary brand.
The response from the day we launched has been incredible and Fieldbars are used around the world and stocked in famous department stores such as Harrods in London.
We make our Fieldbars in our factory in Observatory, Cape Town, and will be adding an exciting range of new products in 2023.
What do you do at work each day?
I see my main role as making sure that Fieldbar is a great place to work; where people are kind to each other, and where they can grow and do the best work of their careers.
We decided at the outset to try to do everything to a high standard (we call it setting a “high bar”), meaning that we are thoughtful and diligent in everything we do, from product design to celebrating birthdays.
It’s a lot of work but we rally round and call each other out when we feel like taking a shortcut.
How did you raise funding and capital for Fieldbar once you had conceptualised your product?
Durable consumer goods companies are high capex business so we knew we would need funding to bring out new products and establish ourselves in foreign markets.
After an angel investment round, we approached two venture capitalists and Invenfin was our target investor. The company has a great reputation, with solid, calm leadership, and has a track record of helping founders make good decisions as they scale their businesses. We are glad to have them on board and at our side.
What are some of the big lessons you have learnt while developing Fieldbar?
You have to care about everything. You need to get into the details in every aspect of your business. If you have gaps in your knowledge you won’t be able to make the best decisions or you won’t fully understand the knock-on effects of these decisions.
If you don’t understand something, even if it’s technical, keep asking questions.
Whenever I make a poor decision it’s because I didn’t get into the details enough.
What big mistake at work has taught you an important lesson?
Being an entrepreneur means you need to be optimistic (you need to believe in your concept or no-one will), but that creates possible blind spots.
Previous mistakes have taught me to ask myself “what am I missing?” or “what am I hoping will turn out as planned?”
It also helps me to assume, for a second, that you are wrong on an issue, and to get yourself to argue the opposite view.
What is your morning get-ready-for-work routine?
I wake up, check the load-shedding schedule, curse, and get going.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to be a Lego designer. I have so many ideas and I still want that job. Lego, if you read this, ping me on LinkedIn.
What is your go-to career advice?
As you progress through your career, your experience and skill set become unique. No-one has your exact combination of upbringing, interests, education, skills and experience, and you can use that to find a place where it is hard for others to compete with you.
Joining your dots is a powerful way of figuring out your next move.
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