Author(s): David Shein

Current Affairs

Lessons learned building Australia's first unicorn. Twenty-one years after selling the company that I founded, Com Tech Communications, for an enterprise value of over $1 billion - arguably Australia's first tech unicorn - I decided to write a book. Drawing on over three decades of experience - gee I'm getting old - and sharing some lessons that I hope will provide valuable advice to anyone looking to start a company or manage a good business. Since 1987 I have hired hundreds of outstanding people, knowing that if I paid well, listened to their valuable ideas and ensured that they loved coming to work every day, I could still be part of something great ... even if I am the dumbest guy at the table. These principles have formed the basis of my management style for over 30 years. So much has changed from a technology perspective - yet, in some ways, nothing has changed. Products come and go, but you will always have customers, staff and business partners. How you treat these three constituents will be the difference between building a good company, a great company, an irrelevant company or one that simply disappears. 'As a businessman, David Shein has lived up to his ideals. Don't be fooled by the title of the book; this guy really knows his shit.' - Ian Chappell