Author Archives: Owen

Qantas Domestic Business Class Review

In December 2019, I decided to fly Qantas back from Sydney to Melbourne as the flight time suited better than my usual preference of carrier (Virgin Australia). Qantas had a conveniently timed 8.30pm departure, whilst Virgin only had 8pm or 10pm. So I booked Qantas. Before the flight, I thought why not blow a fewContinue reading “Qantas Domestic Business Class Review”

Reboot: Probably More Than You Ever Wanted to Know about Starting a Global Business

My Rating: ★★★★★ Written by Jodie Fox, former founder of Shoes of Prey which was shut down in 2018. I’d been following Shoes of Prey since very early on. They launched in 2009, and I launched my first business in 2011, so they were probably the start-up of the time when reading startup news. IContinue reading “Reboot: Probably More Than You Ever Wanted to Know about Starting a Global Business”

The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos

My Rating: ★★★★★ Really enjoyed this book. I felt I knew a lot about Musk, but this had more information that I previously knew. And great to learn more about Bezos, especially the early days. Also great to get a feel for a bit more of the politics behind space and the big contractors whoContinue reading “The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos”

Game of Mates: How favours bleed the nation

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ I had heard great things about this book on Twitter, so bought it in 2018 and finally read it last month, and was fairly underwhelmed. Probably because I feel I am fairly well informed about this dodginess that goes on. The book outlines how ‘grey’ deals are done between industry insiders, industryContinue reading “Game of Mates: How favours bleed the nation”

Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Finished reading 8th August 2019 Found this book difficult to read, felt like it was mostly the author big-noting himself and how he can solve every business and world problems (e.g. education, poverty and government can all be solved easily with scrum). Additionally, can also make any team and at least 4Continue reading “Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time”

Sometimes it’s nice to be a frequent flyer

tldr; As Velocity Platinum member, I was able to get two business class seats on VA24 (LAX-MEL) with a points redemption from the call centre when no seats were available to redeem online. If you look at my Virgin Velocity membership card, it has a nice fancy colour. The card is Platinum (newly minted asContinue reading “Sometimes it’s nice to be a frequent flyer”

Book: MAKE: Bootstrapper’s Handbook, Building Startups The Indie Way

My Rating: ★★★★☆ A book that resonates with my philosophy of quickly creating a product that you charge for. A bit Silicon Valley-ish with marketing items (e.g. Product Hunt). Some good tips on the use of off-the-shelf solutions (e.g. TypeForm). Found a bit lacking in the automation section (no mention of Zapier), with the book abruptlyContinue reading “Book: MAKE: Bootstrapper’s Handbook, Building Startups The Indie Way”

Getting a Credit Card for a Small, New Business

Getting a credit card for a new business is hard. Not sure why, as the banks seem to throw credit at private individuals with no worries (e.g. me as a uni student getting approved for a massive credit limit with ease). Maybe this will be different now after the Royal Commission. But be it aContinue reading “Getting a Credit Card for a Small, New Business”