Bulls n Bears Entrepreneurship Zone :: The journey so far: Glenn Gillis, CEO, Sea Monster

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Glenn Gillis is the MD of Sea Monster, a Cape Town-based studio that
specialises in animation, gaming and augmented reality.


1. Tell us about one of the toughest situations you’ve found yourself in as
a business owner.


… All of them. What that means is that, as a business owner, you’re having
to balance all the challenges you face constantly and knowing which ones to
prioritise, and which decisions to make is the challenge because it’s not
one thing that determines success.

I like the analogy of the clown at the circus with the spinning plates on
sticks – [and] knowing which one to give extra spin to so [that] none comes
crashing down, is how every day feels.

[It is about] balancing the short term and the long term: getting cash in
versus making investments, [and] hiring people (or not). These are all
examples of the spinning plates an entrepreneur needs to keep moving.
Success is about a combination of things and, of course, not running out of
money while you achieve your dream.


2. Which business achievement are you most proud of?


… Sea Monster and the fact that we exist, for me, is my proudest
achievement. We’ve been recognised with awards locally and internationally,
and we’ve won the trust of some of the biggest businesses in Africa. And
those are wonderful things.

But what I really love is that we exist because we’ve proved that animation
and games are serious instruments for change within large organisations.

Seven years later, we’re still around, and the quality of the narrative
we’re having with clients has improved massively. They understand the costs
better and we’re working with big businesses on real, strategic
transformational processes in a way that is nuanced and story driven. We’re
not seen as a hipster fringe movement, what we do is recognised as a proper
part of their arsenal to drive their business goals.


3. Describe your greatest weakness as an entrepreneur.


… How emotional I am about the business. It’s not only my creation, but, as
the leader of the organisation, I’m human, and I have good days and bad
days. People leave the company and move on, and I can see it’s the wrong
decision for them and the business, and I take these things personally.

I’m aware of it and try not to let my emotions affect decisions, but I am
passionate about the business. I hope that this passion and sincerity come
across to our clients on the good days and, on the bad ones, I’m grateful
that my team is good at ignoring me and that my co-founder is good at
calming me down and bringing a more measured approach to these things.


4. Which popular entrepreneurial advice do you disagree with?


One of my favourite sayings is: “You need to plan to succeed.” It sounds
simple and people will nod in agreement. What it means is that you need to
make decisions fairly regularly where it is about a leap of faith.

You know you need that extra business development person. You can’t quite
afford them, but if you don’t hire them you won’t have enough work coming
in. You know you need to upgrade your computers, it slows people down if
they’re using older ones, but, sheesh, you’ve got to write out a big cheque,
and so on.

If you plan to succeed, you have to keep backing yourself and making these
decisions, not recklessly, but still take the next step, the next calculated
risk, believing it will all work out.


5. Is there anything you wish you knew about entrepreneurship before you
got started?


I don’t wish there was anything I knew. The problem is in some sense I knew
too much. I’m not a frustrated animator or game designer, I came from a
business background and have fixed up many businesses over the past 25
years.

I took a leap of faith, despite everything I knew. I know how hard it is to
set up and run a business. [I know] how hard South Africa is as a trading
environment and how punitive it is for small businesses. I don’t know it
all, and I’ve learned a million things.

I also think this notion that entrepreneurship is about … young people
coming up with a big idea and taking a leap of faith is wrong and [it is]
not backed up by data. Globally, successful entrepreneurs are about 43 years
old and have failed a few times or had some business experience.

Popular culture often equates entrepreneurship with being young – and that
is an advantage because they have more energy. But you should have some
knowledge and experience, and it’s often the case that people are in their
40s when they succeed. Maybe because they have a house they can mortgage to
fund the business, networks they can leverage and so on.—Howwemadeitinafrica
Glenn Gillis

 

 

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