Creative Spotlight: Dr Vyom Sharma, General Practitioner and Magician

Dr Vyom Sharma is an Australian GP (Family Medicine/Primary Care Physician) and professional magician. He and his friends Luke Hocking and Alex de la Rambelje perform internationally as The Gentlemen of Deceit. From playing phone tricks on Kelly Osbourne on Australia’s Got Talent, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to events in Taiwan, Vyom juggles his magic work with his passion for General Practice. A graduate of Monash University, Vyom also speaks at events, including previous Australian Medical Association student conventions.

We sat down with Vyom prior to his recent Melbourne and current Sydney shows with The Gentlemen of Deceit, to learn about his journey. Tickets for the Sydney Opera House shows are still available here.

“I started in my first year of medical school. A fellow med student, Rob, was good at sleight of hand, so I started learning from him. The first three years were a period of intense learning, and doing 5-10 minute spots on stage.

The Gentlemen of Deceit performing one of their tricks. L-R: Alex de la Rambelje, Vyom Sharma, Luke Hocking. Pic courtesy of Dr Vyom Sharma

The hardest thing was doing it by myself. Medicine is difficult, but others are there too, and generate camaraderie during the course.

Whereas with Creative pursuits, your own path is incredibly unique. However, Melbourne has a very tight-knit Magic community. 

I started working as a magician in restaurants. It was a good example of being thrown in the deep end! Years of rehearsal couldn’t have given me that experience. Then I got accepted into the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

You need the experience before doing the work.

We walked in as boys, and out as men. Then that led to my biggest challenge: producing my own standalone show, Seven Stories. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I took some bold, unconventional steps to get it ready.

Coming to magic late, you find you’re more willing to take risks, and I’m up for more challenges as a result.

There’s a solid chance of failure, but what matters is to fight your ego, and realise how badly you don’t want to fail.

Medicine is a very risk-averse profession. You’re looking at longterm goals while working your day-to-day. With Magic, there’s a very fine line between success and failure. There’s the risk of incredibly public humiliation in an instant.

Performing on stage helps you realise the disparity between how you view failure and what it actually feels like.

It’s very interesting to switch between one perspective of failure in Medicine and another in Performance. I think Medicine should teach that your decisions are only as good as the information you have available at the time. A lot of people in Medicine look back and regret. But we are far more in control (of our decisions and pathways) than we realise.

In Medicine, people tend to praise the success, not the attempt. 

It’s like success is an algorithm, not about putting yourself out there (and giving it a go). This is the benefit of having an outside pursuit. 

The Gentlemen of Deceit on Australia’s Got Talent. Pic courtesy of Dr Sharma

Being a magician has helped me be a better doctor. It helps with building rapport. And it’s hard to feel sorry for yourself at a show when you’re looking after someone in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) the next day.

I really enjoy listening to people.

And I enjoy being a GP. It’s a specialty which encompasses a bit of everything.”

The Gentlemen of Deceit are playing at the Sydney Opera House tonight (October 16th). Tickets are still available here. 

Career Articles Need To Include Options For People in Training – Launching Our Jobs Board

First published October 14, 2016

Pleased to announce that we’re launching our Jobs & Opportunities Board.

Was just reading an article in a prominent Australian medical journal, featuring a young Australian medical specialist who’s completed her training. She is now a mum and somehow fits in time to paint, cook and travel as well as practice in her chosen specialty.

It is a very nice article, and we enjoyed reading about this woman. But we feel like there’s a gap in career articles about medical doctors (and other professionals) who are in the midst of training.

Life happens.

How can you make a difference in your life, now?

How can you do something meaningful with medicine while you’re still in training?

How do others fit it all in? 

Our interviews with psychiatrist Dr Gregory Sam, GP Dr Nelson Lau, and medical physician Dr Lloyd Nashhelp to shed light on how they did it. We will also be featuring professionals at various stages of their careers, and students who are not waiting till tomorrow to create impact in healthcare today.

We’ll feature people at a wide range of ages, life stages, and career accomplishments.

And we’ll share opportunities for you to make a difference even before you finish your exams and other assessments and get awarded your letters, which may be many years down the track.

So if you have a job, volunteer opportunity or other option that might interest a worldwide network of readers, visit our Jobs page and Contact Us.

What We’re Reading: Forge Magazine

First published October 4, 2016

Today I picked up the latest issue of Forge, a quarterly Australian business publication.

Forge Magazine. forgemag.com.au. Pic: The Medical Startup

Based out of Melbourne, its writers provide analysis of the latest trends in business and entrepreneurship, with a thorough look into particular topics boosting innovation in Australia.

They launched late 2014, and it’s something I look forward to reading each time. In fact, I first bought an issue in Taree, rural New South Wales!

Not only does Forge provide insight into some of the medical innovation and biotech developments in Australian universities and industries; they also give snapshots of future worldwide economic trends based on international research. This issue tackles the meaning of smart cities, which will fuel more innovation across industries and boost economic growth. It also highlighted a recent Australian study about self-employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and described how entrepreneurship could be better supported for this frequently under-recognised group.

The future of medical innovation is in cross-industry collaboration. We see this at co-working spaces, accelerators, incubators, university libraries, weekend dance groups, and other areas of creativity and innovation. And when clinicians are exhausted after physically or emotionally draining shifts, a good read on a separate topic can help reignite that flame of inspiration for doing good through healthcare.

New ideas grow from exposure to how others think. We’ll be sharing more of our favourite reads and resources; to share your favourite reads, comment below or send us an email via our Contact Us page.

With Great Media Comes Great Responsibility

First published September 15, 2016

I was reminded of this as I got off the phone tonight. I’d chatted with two very inspiring individuals, both based in Melbourne, about the intersection of communications and healthcare.

Both shared my awe at the power of media delivering an impactful, inspiring and positive message in healthcare.

Both understood the responsibility of media to respect, educate, engage and entertain a given audience.

And both recognise the impact that a simple Tweet or video can bring to a patient, a loved one, a colleague, a stranger, and a potential new friend.

I was touched by the humility of both individuals; the passion behind their work; the time they both gave me to learn about their stories; and their lessons to share. When a simple message can be conveyed across various age groups, cultures, timezones and professions in the click of a button, and potentially touch millions of lives, it is wondrous that we don’t stop and marvel more at how far we’ve come from pigeon and paper. Just touching one life with an image or message has powerful, long-lasting consequences.

This is why healthcare needs to embrace social media and new media technologies. And why we, in healthcare and healthcare startups, must learn how to use it effectively.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing more stories, including those of the two above, in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic Healthcare and Social Media Summit, in Melbourne in November 2016. The Mayo also has a dedicated Social Media Network which offers courses in this area. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this unique and evolving topic, and how you use social media in healthcare or with your healthcare startup. Hashtag #MayoinOz if you’re interested in attending the Summit or want to share your views.

Thoughts: Validating Medical Career Choices Through Impact

First published September 12, 2016

I was catching up with two medical friends yesterday over a traditional Melbourne brunch, and as you do over flat whites and mushroom burgers, we chatted about our careers and our dreams for the rest of the year and beyond.

One friend is launching an app, a new platform that could transform the future of hospital medicine, no hyperbole intended. Looking at the prototype, as a clinician, I was impressed. This person had taken the frustrations of staff across many hospitals, departments, training specialties (eg. Obstetrics and General Medicine junior doctors don’t often interact at work unless there’s a referral or they’re friends), locations, and years of operation, united those frustrations, and summarised them to create this product. I have met several others who have given up months and even years of college training time to devote themselves to their own solutions for higher-quality, high-efficiency healthcare, and the focus and determination they all demonstrate are incredibly inspiring. They don’t realise it, but they rejuvenate me, when I feel worried or anxious about my own work.

The other friend is getting their letters at the end of the year. He’d had startup aspirations for many years, but had shelved those aspirations to complete his training, and despite the long, arduous exams, he’d somehow managed to keep his other interests alive. He is still a fountain of ideas bubbling over today, and will no doubt do something incredible very soon.

Then there’s me. A very keen, slightly travel-weary but ever-inspired writer whose head simmers constantly with ideas on how to energise the medical system in Australia; how to learn from others’ experiences within and overseas; how to inspire students, junior and senior doctors and other healthcare professionals alike; how to connect with others who don’t normally interact day-to-day with our professions in hospital, bar multidisciplinary meetings;  and most of all, how to celebrate the uniqueness and creativity that every single one of us exhibits when we apply ourselves to a self-made project aimed at a greater impact. 

The three of us are happy because we’re each creating impact. The one who’s about to become a specialist, and who was the one who brought up this Impact concept, had to push aside his many ideas and that creative energy whilst knuckling down with training. The other friend and I had waited long enough- it’s an individual decision, and you know when you’re ready to take that leap.

I’m surrounded by inspiration and hope when talking to friends like these. People who can relate to thinking outside the box, and are driven by that internal fire for achieving greater impact than they could one-on-one with a patient, yet still value the sacredness of the clinician-patient interaction. (And when I say “clinician” or “healthcare professional,” I also mean physiotherapists- “physical therapists” in the States; occupational therapists; nurses; dietitians; dentists; and so forth.)

Yet, as I mentioned in my previous editorial, our conversations as healthcare workers are often restricted or self-censored as we fret over whether our projects will be recognised and validated by external medical training colleges; whether we are jeopardising our future careers by deviating from well-worn paths; and whether there will be anything external to show when we’ve given it that shot.

How can we become a more Impact-Driven profession? 

We have to show that education is also about life experience and applying that experience to a greater cause. The trials of forming and running a startup or social impact project are like a real-life, practical exam.

And you fail instantly by not trying. 

To make it easier for people transitioning from stable clinical job to startup or social impact project, the conversation has to start with you. We need to celebrate the individuality of healthcare professionals who value the interactions between clinician and patient (and their loved ones), and nourish that environment of creative thinking in medicine. And by creative, it can mean anything from brainstorming better patient flowcharts between hospital departments on a nursing unit whiteboard, to improvising novel bandages in a resource-poor setting when on a field trip or rescue mission with the Flying Doctors or other emergency services.

Or it can be through sharing stories, like me.

Would love to hear how you gain inspiration to continue your journeys when you feel discouraged, or how you rejuvenated yourself when you felt overwhelmed by opposition. feel free to share your comments below, tag us on Twitter @themedstartup, tag your photos on Instagram at @themedicalstartup, or send me an old-fashioned email via the Contactpage.

Enjoy your working day :) 

Creative Spotlight: Dr Nelson Lau, Photographer

First published July 1, 2016

The Medical Startup believes that creativity is the life-force of good in healthcare, technology and business. We’ll be regularly featuring the faces of health professionals and medical startups who excel in creative pursuits beyond their medical and startup careers.

Dr Nelson Lau is a General Practitioner, telehealth doctor, professional photographer and filmmaker. His company, Looking Glass Photography, has exhibited on multiple occasions, including twice at Head On, Australia’s largest photography festival. Nelson’s current exhibition, “Timeless,” is finishing on a high note this weekend as part of Head On in Sydney.

“Timeless” photo exhibition by Dr Nelson Lau, Looking Glass Photography. Photo taken with Dr Lau’s permission.

Inspired by the languid beauty of Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai’s film “In The Mood For Love”, “Timeless” takes viewers on a suspenseful journey of hope and longing, following two star-crossed lovers through The Rocks and other iconic Sydney locations.

The characters of “Timeless” are styled in the nostalgic fashion of Hong Kong in the 60s, with beautiful cheongsams, delicate wristwatches and the female protagonist’s iconic bouffant nodding to Wong Kar-Wai’s depiction of the era.

The Rocks was once a thriving marketplace where many Chinese immigrants sold their wares in the 1800s. “If you look outside, there is still a wall on one of the buildings with the name of a Chinese merchant painted from back then,” says Nelson. He had the honour of Claudia Chan Shaw, daughter of acclaimed fashion designer Vivian Chan Shaw, speaking at “Timeless”’ opening night.

We met Nelson at his exhibition and chatted about his work.

How did you get started with photography?

In med school, I made time for life drawing, sculpture and photography, and reading literature. I believed in the benefit of keeping something outside of medicine. It’s really important to try find your identity outside of medicine. In high school, what really inspired me was literature and the arts, even though I was much better at science and maths.

How did you evolve from school days to med school, and develop your careers in medicine and filmmaking?

I’ve worked in a lot of places- I trained and then worked in both metropolitan and rural Western Australia. I’ve also worked in the Northern Territory, Queensland, Horn Island, the New South Wales Central Coast, and now, Sydney. I grew up in Swaziland and Hong Kong. You see huge inequalities in health in Swaziland. The percentage of the population between 15-49 years of age with HIV is 29%! One of the highest rates in the world.

My student elective was in Mauritius- Quatre-Borne- in Paediatrics. Again, I was faced with more health inequalities. There’d be six kids to one cot! Very different from the holiday resort depictions of the country.

Dr Nelson Lau, Looking Glass Photography, at his latest exhibition, “Timeless.” Photo taken with Dr Lau’s permission.

I began taking photographs in high school, and continued throughout med school. I started out using manual SLRs, then learnt how to create Super8 videos from my dad. I also have a lot of friends in Med who are very creative.

Working as a doctor has also allowed me to travel to many interesting places around Australia. I met I met Torres Strait Islander and ARIA-award-winning musician, Seaman Dan, when I was working on Horn Island, which is next to Thursday Island at the northern tip of Queensland. He would take the ferry with his Zimmer frame across every week to play gigs at the pub, and then return the same night! I shot a photo documentary about him.

I also shot a documentary photography series about Ron Williams’ David and Goliath journey against the High Court challenge relating to the National School Chaplaincy Program. Multiple interests have led me to different projects.

Can you describe your photography?

It took awhile for me to pinpoint my style. I finally realised, that I create fine art portraiture in a narrative sense.

“Timeless” represents key frames of a film about the couple’s life. I also created a short nine-minute film at the exhibition, featuring 2.5D animation techniques. I shot the scenes over four days, over the course of three years. Serena, the female model, is also a big fan of Wong Kar-wai’s work, and of Maggie Cheung (the lead actress from “In The Mood For Love”). Then I tried to write a story about it.

It’s interesting that Wong Kar-wai’s films are never scripted..

Yes, and I tried to do that with Timeless, too. Initially, I was writing the story myself. This idea that they’d be in parallel worlds and travel through time. Then I came across Emily Dickinson. I realised her words would help enhance the key frames, and the viewer can then relate their own interpretations of the story.

The Rocks Discovery Museum, where Nelson’s exhibition, part of Head On Photo Festival, will run til July 3rd. Photo: The Medical Startup

How did your interest in Telehealth begin?

I started six years ago, when Medibank called out for GPs to help with their telehealth project. Patients were dialling from rural locations where the closest doctor could be over 500kms away. The service provided patients across Australia with free after hours’ GP advice. Often, the patients wouldn’t know how to use their prescribed medications properly, or needed other simple advice that they would have otherwise travelled to the nearest ED for, after hours.

Now, I am a consulting GP for ReadyCare, which is a part of TelstraHealth.

At the moment, Telehealth consults aren’t directly covered by the Government or Medicare. There’s no MBS rebate for the patient. It’ll be great when the Government sees the benefit of Telehealth in Australia. It’ll improve access for rural communities to healthcare.

We need data to show the benefit of telehealth in certain areas. It’s not a replacement for a regular GP living in the area. Telehealth’s function is to be complementary to the patient’s own regular GP’s care. It’s really important for us that we promote and ensure the continuity of care between the patient and their own GP.

What’s some advice you’d like to share with others interested in pursuing a similar journey?

I heard some advice from Google’s founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page: “Don’t think in terms of limitations now- think in terms of possibilities in the future.”

“Timeless” as part of Head On Photo Festival will be showing until 3 July 2016 at The Rocks Discovery Museum. Entry is free. Visit https://www.headon.com.au/exhibitions/timeless and lookingglassphotography.com.au to learn more about the exhibition and to follow Nelson’s work.

Opening Hours:

Monday – Sunday: 10:00 am-5:00 pm

THE ROCKS DISCOVERY MUSEUM

Kendall Lane (off Argyle St)

2000 The Rocks , NSW

Doctors Want To Be Innovative, But They Don’t Know How

First published June 20, 2016

Since embarking on this journey, I’ve been fortunate to explore innovation in medicine and learn what makes a medical entrepreneur, by talking to people first-hand outside of hospitals and clinical environments.

From working full-time in hospitals, I know first-hand what it’s like to want to create change, but not know how to. The constraints of protocols, hierarchies, specialty college milestones, and expectations of supervisors- not to mention full-time rosters- they all exist for safety and for high-quality medical training. I value my time in that world like nothing else. It made me into the doctor and person I am today.

Yet, I had to forcibly step away in order to figure out my odd journey.

Looking up at the possibilities. Gaudi built his vision, which millions enjoy today. Credit: The Medical Startup

Medicine is a long road, signposted by those milestones I mentioned earlier. You graduate from med school. You start Internship. You score your first Resident job in the field you want to enter. You gain entry into the specialty college of your choice. You survive your first day as a Registrar. You pass your college exams. You become an Advanced Trainee. Then you’re a Fellow.

Then, one day, you finish that, and you’re finally a Consultant. (What many in the public refer to as a “specialist” or, in the case of General Practitioners, Fellows of the RACGP– fully qualified and accredited family doctors.)

It is odd if you step away.

Will people point you out for daring to be different? – Grand Canyon. Photo: The Medical Startup

It is odd if you take a break. (Okay, maternity/paternity leave, marriage, other life events, they obviously do happen.) In the recent past, not even five years ago, it may have been more acceptable to take a break for a year. But with the ferocity of job competition amongst junior and senior doctors alike in Australia, the walls are closing in on flexibility.

And now, taking a step away from training; even for just a few months; even by remaining employed but putting off an exam for a year; even if you just need a 6 month “half-gap” of a year, because you’ve not had a proper study break since you were 5 years old – even if – sorry to hear –  a tragic life event has shaken your world – it can be seen as detrimental to a person’s chance of being rehired.

And when you’re surrounded by colleagues and well-meaning friends who don’t understand, and who actually say that those who take a break, even to work on a startup, are “unambitious” or “unmotivated” – is it any wonder, then, why doctors feel isolated and stay under the radar when they come up with an idea?

And, even if a hospital or clinic is supportive (and they usually are; unfortunately, it tends to be particular influential individuals who aren’t) – you have to go a step higher, and try explain to colleges that you’re still doing valuable work in healthcare, by working on your startup- it just doesn’t fit their definition of training.

And this is why doctors find it hard to Innovate.

Leaping through the clouds- daring to dream. Photo: The Medical Startup

How can you innovate when you are feeling weighed down by all these pressures?

How can you innovate where your environment is slow to respond to change, and, despite best intentions, has trouble understanding the few (or many) employees who want to do more, but can’t articulate their feelings?

How can you innovate when you risk being penalised or even kicked out of a specialty college that you’ve worked so hard to enter?

How can the medical profession realise that a step away doesn’t equate a permanent career change, and that it is vital for the future of healthcare for motivated health professionals to gain experience building something outside of their day-to-day work environments in order to bring optimal change for their patients and colleagues? 

Entrepreneurship doesn’t suit everyone. This is not a comment on forcing everybody to become entrepreneurial. It’s about creating the supportive ecosystem for those who are motivated and capable of change, to create that good change.

We should connect our different ways of thinking, and allow ourselves to shine. Credit: The Medical Startup

Many Australian hospitals have rotations in Clinical Redesign and Innovation, or other similarly-named Medical Resident positions. A junior doctor has the opportunity, usually for 10-12 weeks (the standard duration for hospital rotations) to work on innovating within the hospital system. They are usually assigned a senior Supervisor and observe, advise, discuss, formulate, and strategise solutions and carry out these solutions during these ten weeks.

Projects are varied. They can improve the efficiency of completing discharge letters sent to the GP when patients go home. They can improve the allocations of night shift duty. They can create more structured Handover meetings at the start of each shift, so the staff finishing can “hand over” outstanding tasks and patient updates to incoming team members. These roles give junior doctors the opportunity to innovate. However, very few of these roles exist, and to be honest, I am not sure of the demand for doctors who want to rotate in these roles over Cardiology, Nephrology or other critical specialties that count towards training and clinical care. (Feel free to let me know.)

I’ve been really fortunate (and also worked hard!) to attend events where I get to meet people in the health tech space; and others who are medical entrepreneurs in non-medical fields; and I find, that non-medical people are, very graciously, applauding those of us who innovate. Those of us who choose to step away. This whole post has been stimulated by yet another Twitter comment by a non-medical entity encouraging more doctors to innovate. It’s fantastic that the non-medical community are eager to see more doctors and health professionals innovate. If they only knew how hard it was, and how much doctors risk by choosing to innovate, they might understand why there are, perhaps, fewer Australian doctors in the entrepreneurial spotlight than in other fields.

Dreaming big at Yosemite National Park. Photo: The Medical Startup

I’m going to shine this spotlight on inspiring health professionals who are doing great things with their time, to help normalise this situation, and to celebrate their wins as well as their journeys. And I challenge you, too, to be inspired, to value your time, and give your best to the world, no matter what field you’re in.

Do you agree? How can healthcare ecosystems and communities in general improve inclusion for health professionals to innovate, in and out of their workspaces? What cultural issues need to be addressed and how can they be fixed? Or do you think things are fine as they are? Feel free to comment below, or send us an email via our Contact page. 

How Co-Working Spaces Can Help You And Your Startup

First published June 2, 2016

Wondering what co-working is? We visited two major co-working spaces in Perth-  Spacecubed, and its sister space Flux, to find out.

Co-working spaces are community spaces for working on and building your startup, sole trader enterprise, or scaling business. Spacecubed just held Australia’s first Mental Health Hackathon, MindHack. Its success means another MindHack is in the works!

Co-working spaces are also, by definition, a space for working with other businesses, at various stages of a business lifecycle and from a range of different industries. Startups and sole founders can be very isolated, and co-working helps to solve this problem. Membership flexibility allows businesses and sole founders to adapt as they require, and the space is built to facilitate networking and collaboration, as well as quiet -room working spaces and longer-term office leases.

Spaces tend to offer a rotating program of activities that can help its members, for example, SEO tutorials, legal advice, games events, pitching tips, and drinks. Some of these events may be open to the wider community.

Spacecubed offers packages including mentorship and legal advice for its members. Photo: The Medical Startup

Spacecubed Marketing Manager Matt Kirk kindly took us on a tour one Wednesday, showing us the varied office spaces, desks and personalities inhabiting Spacecubed over several floors. Home to startups across a range of industries, co-working helps members cross-pollinate ideas, resources and perspectives that they wouldn’t encounter otherwise . Having neighbours who are coders, engineers, designers, or copywriters from fintech, education, photography and even space tech, helps new connections and, potentially, new startups form. Mentor programs also run from many spaces.

Spacecubed, Perth. Photo: The Medical Startup

Hot-desking options allow members to meet and greet while working in different spaces. Office space for more established companies are also available for hire. Part-time and full-time memberships are on offer, and many spaces offer one-day or even free introductory rates. Packages at most co-working spaces exist to be flexible, starting from daily rates to monthly or even yearly memberships. Spacecubed also offer a day of free co-working at partner locations across Australia, and this helps foster connections between communities across the country.

Housed in the former Reserve Bank of Australia headquarters, Spacecubed has different floors for levels of quietness during work hours. Meetings can be held in a soundproofed former bank vault. And, further down the road at Flux, businesses can use the new maker labs with 3D printer, virtual reality lab, and prototyping materials – a first for co-working in Perth. Introductory packages are on offer to coincide with Flux’s opening this month.

A peek inside a demo office at Flux Perth. Photo: The Medical Startup

The other benefit of co-working spaces tends to be location. Both Spacecubed and Flux are situated along the CBD hub of St George’s Terrace. The area’s bank facades and glass windows are punctuated by shortcuts to some of Perth’s best bars and dining areas for business meetings and post-work meetups. I snuck over to the Print Room for a meeting, chomping kale salad while my colleague had a drink, and, later, The Apple Daily Bar & Eating House for a dinner catchup. (Melburnians, think Chin Chin with less queuing and a more Malaysian twist.) Perth’s startup scene may not be as well-known as Sydney and Melbourne, but its geographical isolation, strong education institutions and quiet beauty has helped it become a major player in Australia’s startup community.

For more details and to book a free tour, visitSpacecubed‘s and Flux’s websites. 

What We Learnt from Jay Samit’s Webinar

First published June 1, 2016

Jay Samit. Serial entrepreneur. Former head of major entertainment labels including Sony, Universal and EMI. Self-starter. TED Speaker. Professor of High Tech Startups at University of Southern California. Author. Why am I featuring him on a “medical” website?

Because great ideas come from anywhere, and inspiration knows no boundaries. Some of my biggest heroes have never been known for their medical achievements. And when I started reading Jay’s book, “Disrupt You!” (“Disrupt Yourself!” in Australia and other regions), I knew he was using “disruption” not as a buzzword, but as a teachable, adaptable concept that brings clarity to problems I’d thought were unsolvable, and to dead-ends with hidden paths.

Jay Samit webinar hosted by Startups Innovation. Photo: StartupsInnovation.com

Jay’s book is filled with examples from his work in the entertainment and computer industries, and from his knowledge of other companies. He begins from his childhood growing up in Philadelphia, and leads to his career in Los Angeles and beyond. He lists examples of Airbnb’s success; how NASA disrupted research & development by creating an open-access patent library; and on a personal note, Bill Clinton phoning him to help roll out Internet in classrooms across America.

The idea of disruption is that once it occurs, the industry it occurs in is changed forever. Think music and downloads; medicine and antibiotics; taxis and Uber. The core concept of Jay’s teaching in his book and webinar lies on understanding the links in any industry’s value-chain. Disruption occurs when you’ve identified which part of the value chain is weakest, and is thus “ripest” for disruption.  Jay describes the chain being made up of Research & Development; Design and Production; Marketing and Sales; and Distribution. So, how can you figure out which link to disrupt in an industry?

“The only two things you need to succeed are Insight, and Perseverance,” says Jay. An Insight may come in an instant, or it may take days of contemplation or years of hard work to arrive. Then, to grow from an Idea, you need to bring that Perseverance to the table.  

“You suddenly realise big ideas attract big minds,” Jay added. Sharing your idea helps each link in your value chain. Speaking of links, he suggests LinkedIn- “you can find experts in any field, and ask for advice- start a conversation, and connect with experts all over the world. You can’t do it by yourself.”

How can your idea be disruptive? “The first thing is to figure out how you can solve problems for others, and that will attract success. Every problem is an opportunity in disguise,” he said. Disruption from technology can bring social impact. Jay mentioned a startup which 3D-prints prosthetics for children. Someone went to Disney, got a licence for Star Wars, Ironman, Frozen and other popular shows. This disruptive yet simple design change not only helped kids get well-fitting prosthetics, but also de-stigmatised their prostheses and helped their emotional perception of their disability. 

As webinar facilitator and author Alistair Schneider of Startups Innovation said to Jay: “From your book,ideas don’t need to be complicated.” You don’t need to invent a new computer to innovate. A whole industry in accessories and dust covers for computers, keyboards and smartphones rose from the more expensive hardware they’re meant to house. It’s much easier and cheaper to prototype ten-thousand dust covers than ten-thousand of the latest laptops.  Jay’s friend did just that; the success of his covers was such that, “despite never learning how to use a computer, his first company was sold at age 30 for USD135million.”

Jay teaches his proven business model as being Social, Local, and Mobile. If you can prove it’s usable and scalable in one city, or town, you can adapt it to other cities.  

How can employers allow employees to excel and help intrapreneurs lead? “You have to change the culture that’s afraid of making mistakes. If you’re not making mistakes, it’s because you’re not trying something new. Success comes from trying something new. If you’re not creating value, your job will be eliminated.” 

Jay warns against getting too comfortable even after disruption: “It’s really the illusion of security that robs ambition- because given the circumstance you WILL be disrupted.” He used Kodak as an example- Kodak refused to branch into digital photography, sticking with traditional film, and unfortunately, losing its spectacular market share as a result. On a personal level, you may face this if you’re worried you’ll lose your job, your steady income, or other comforts by leaving work to start on your idea. Ambition is thwarted by fear, and disruptors learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

Finally, Jay predicts that “wearables will change the medical industry.” Anyone can see this from any industry.  The challenge will be to ethically and responsibly manage consumer and medical-grade wearables. 

To view the exclusive replay of Jay’s webinar, visit YouTube, or listen on SoundCloud. Startups Innovation are a startup education platform based out of Boston, running regular webinars on disruption and innovation with startup experts from all over America. Their founder, Alistair Schneider, is also the author of book “Fast Lane: Start Ups Innovation,” a handbook on startups available on Amazon. We thank them for the opportunity to cohost Jay’s webinar.

Jay can be followed for daily advice on Twitter at @jaysamit. Learn more about him at jaysamit.com. 
*This article contains affiliate links to bookdepository.com.

Three Hot Tips From Three of Australia’s Most Successful Founders

First published May 31, 2016

We tuned into the Sunrise Conference that was awesomely available for livestream yesterday, as part of Vivid Festival in Sydney. (Thanks guys!) While we flitted between conference sessions, three things we heard from three of Australia’s most successful founders really stood out:

(Photo: Atlassian’s Mike Cannon-Brookes and his designer value the people behind the product. Credit: Atlassian)

1. “Every single entrepreneur goes through the same challenges,” Canva founder Melanie Perkins advised. Kicking off as the first guest, she shared how she came to this realisation when she met Google’s Lars Rasmussen, the founder of Google Maps. “I sat across the table from him, and I realised, he’s just a normal person,” Mel explained. She described how Canva’s “overnight success that took nine years” taught her two things about entrepreneurship: “It’s possible, and it’s hard.” But, she added, definitely worth it.

2. “Technology is all about people- the app, the coding, it’s all about the people behind it,” said Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of Atlassian, on the importance of vision and teamwork. It can be tempting as a founder to set your eyes squarely on your product. By being team-facing rather than product-facing, Atlassian allows its team members to work to their strengths and build the best product possible.

3. “We decided not to follow NASA’s model (operating as a space company); we ran PlanetLabsas a regular software company,” explained PlanetLabs CTO Chris Boshuizen. Breaking PlanetLabs’ vision into its basics- as a software company, rather than a space behemoth- allowed PlanetLabs to be nimble, rising from its beginnings in rural New South Wales to Silicon Valley acclaim with its satellite-imagery technology.

   Okay, we loved this bonus tip: “Let’s get it 80% correct, and move forward. It’s probably a negative decision to get 100% of things correct. If you get your gut-calls 80% correct, and you’re constantly moving forward, you’ll be fine. Speed is the single most important thing that moves you forward,” said Mike Cannon-Brookes. In the medical world, 100% accuracy is the norm, and this perfectionism extends to other industries too. As a startup, though, Mike challenges this thinking by reminding us that speed is the startup’s biggest predictor of success. By testing quickly, and making mistakes quickly, your startup can move forward faster than your competitors, including your biggest competition- yourself. 

Interested in more events like these at Vivid Sydney? Check out our post on the Top Picks for Medical Startups and people interested in entrepreneurship.