Messenger - Daring & Disruptive: Unleashing the Entrepreneur

2014, Lisa Messenger

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Any views and opinions expressed herein are strictly the authors own and do not represent those of The Messenger Group.

A CIP catalogue of this book is available from the National Library of Australia.

Messenger, Lisa

Daring & Disruptive: Unleashing The Entrepreneur

ISBN 978-0-9870974-7-7 (eBook)

Published by The Messenger Group Pty Ltd

PO Box H241

Australia Square NSW 1215

Editing by Sarah Megginson, Mel Carswell

Photography by Scott Ehler

Design by Jessica Wells

Shot at Koskela, Rosebery NSW

Daring and Disruptive is such an inspiring and energising story for every entrepreneur, intrapreneneur and just plain everybody! Not many of us think we can turn an idea into an empire, but after reading Lisas story you will be inspired not to let anything get in the way of your passion and vision a compelling read and my gut tells me it will be a bestseller.

JACQUI CLARKE, PARTNER DELOITTE PRIVATE

Anybody who meets Lisa is struck by her energy, optimism and belief a powerful combination to make the impossible happen. Were lucky that Lisa has taken time to share her experiences for other entrepreneurs while she is still right in the middle of the Renegade Collective project.

DAVID ROHRSHEIM, GENERAL MANAGER, UBER

Both new and seasoned entrepreneurs dream of being truly daring and disruptive. But what does it really take? In this book, Lisa lets you right in. Her honesty as she reflects on her failures and wins will deeply inspire you and her profound insights will leave you feeling equipped to make your own mark in this world.

DANIEL FLYNN, MANAGING DIRECTOR + CO-FOUNDER, THANK YOU GROUP

Like most successful entrepreneurs, Lisa has just the right amount of crazy. When you combine this with her intuition, talent, passion and belief, its a potent recipe for success. And, to her credit, shes taken full advantage of it.

JUSTIN DRAPE, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER + CO-FOUNDER, THE MONKEYS

Lisa is one of the most daring and disruptive entrepreneurs I know. She is tenacious and strong but also a deeply soulful woman who is always led by her heart. This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to succeed in business.

THERESE KERR, AUTHOR, SPEAKER + CEO OF DIVINE BY THERESE KERR

Lisa Messengers new book should come with a warning: danger for all prospective entrepreneurs! This book will turn the spark of creativity into a full-blown fire that will be hard to put out.

FLEUR WOOD, FASHION DESIGNER

There has probably never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Individuality, innovation, disruption and the notion of pushing boundaries in a clever, respectful way is no longer accepted, but expected. Its the new norm. And entrepreneurs are the new heroes nimble, adaptable and unbridled; running wildly towards their goals while their competitors watch in awe and at times, fear. And for those of us with a penchant for that (crazy, wildly rewarding) way of life, we couldnt be happier.

There are many traits intrinsic to entrepreneurs. One of the more forgotten and even undervalued qualities is their innately curious nature. Ive come to learn that curiosity is, above all, the most important resource you have at your disposal.

Take Lisa, for example. When Lisa and I first met, we were on opposite sides of the world. She was browsing the shelves of a Byron Bay bookstore and a book dropped off the shelf and landed on the floor. It happened to be one of mine and Lisa being Lisa a curious cat by nature with a delightful rebellious side couldnt resist flicking through a few pages before taking a copy home.

She later told me how it unfolded her brain fired immediately, she loved what she was reading and without me quite knowing it, we had an instant connection. The more Lisa read, the more she thought, Who is this guy? He talks just like I do, he thinks just like I do I need to make contact.

Inspired, she did what every gutsy entrepreneur does and got in touch and weve kept in touch ever since. We often joke that we are the same versions of each other, in different bodies and different hemispheres!

Nearly 30 years ago, I was a rebel boutique hotelier disrupting the big chains who would eventually follow in my footsteps and create their own boutique hotels. I had huge success, until the world was shaken by 9/11 and on the back of that new companies like Priceline and Expedia started to completely change how people shopped for hotel rooms.

Happily, Im once again in the disruptor chair at Airbnb, where Im Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. This home-sharing start-up, which was founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk, is now valued more than the Hyatt Hotels and the InterContinental Hotels Group. I can categorically say its a lot more fun to be the disruptor than the disrupted!

Lisa knows a thing or two about disrupting, too. She shook up the book publishing industry years ago and now with The Collective magazine, shes challenged and reinvigorated a tired trade. I have no doubt that shell continue to disrupt for decades to come and hopefully, after working your way through her wise words in this book, youll be ready to disrupt in your own way, too.

The best advice I can give you is to always have a beginners mind, to remember that in business we are all human, to seek endlessly, to never stop asking the most powerful question of why?, to ensure you are making a positive difference in the world with whatever path you choose and to let a curious nature be your trusted compass. Good luck on your journey!

CHIP CONLEY,

Founder Joie de Vivre Hospitality
and Head of Global Hospitality
and Strategy, Airbnb

Heres to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. Theyre not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify them or vilify them. About the only thing you cant do is ignore them. Because they change things. They imagine. They invent. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song thats never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?... And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.

- Steve Jobs/ Apple Inc.