Times Online
Our Homes Today
Rural Living
Home
News
Blogs
Features
Awards
About Us
e-newsletter
Directory
A word from the editor's desk
Ten questions in ten minutes
As We See It
Dining
Getting the Message Across
Internet Stuff
Investment Clues
Business Growth Law Focus
The Business Maverick
Held in Trust
The IT Report
Spotlight
My business my way
Archives
Southern Focus
Northern Focus
Western Focus
Business Expo
Business Branding & Gifts
Business Technology
Design, Print & Packaging
Training & Education
Pride In Print
Politics
Meetings & Conferences
Chill Out
Bucking The Trend
Entrepreneurial Expose
Human Resources
Westpac Waitakere Business Awards
Westpac Manukau Business Excellence Awards
Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Awards
Vero Excellence In Business Support Awards
Air New Zealand Auckland Export Awards
Best of the Best
EEO Trust Awards
Franchise Awards
Other Awards
Contact Us
Accounting & Legal
Design
Commercial Property
Dining & Catering
Motoring
Meetings & Conferences
Print & Packaging
Training & Education
Retail
IT/Web
Manufacturing
Recruitment
Business Services
Trade Services
Lifestyle
Ten questions in ten minutes Headlines
With Jason Armishaw
With Lisa Markwick
With Steve Bonnici
With Paul and Hilda Webber
With Blacksmith
With Matt Foster
With Shane Loomb
With Andrew James
With Steve and Jonelle Phillips
With Rob MacLean
Ten questions in ten minutes
With Justin Flitter
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Justin Flitter is the Asia Pacific manager, and Social Media Coordinator for SaaS Helpdesk, Zendesk.com. He is a Social Media mentor, empowering businesses, brands, customers and staff to be more social.
Justin Flitter.
Business to Business
- What inspired you to start up your business?
Justin Flitter
- I have always admired entrepreneurs and I've always been a terrible employee. Being in business enables you to take advantage of more opportunities.
BtoB
- Who has influenced you the most professionally?
JF
- In 2000 we launched the NRG Charitable Trust which ran a business incubator in Wellington. The six Trustees that formed the Board were pretty influential in my professional development given I was only 20 years old. I have had several mentors over the years, recently Graeme from Adage Business and Jayson from the Wine Vault have been helping me a lot.
BtoB
- How would you describe yourself as a businessman?
JF
- I'm a sheep herder, I organise people and projects, that’s what I'm good at. I need to get some Southern Man attitude and harden up though; I'm too nice!
BtoB
- What do you consider your greatest achievement?
JF
- From a personal satisfaction perspective definitely dreaming up and establishing the Charitable Trust is still a highlight I look back on. Being awarded $100K funding in the first year was amazing and it created my first real job. NRG helped launch 7 new businesses in its first year and went on to form the Wellington Incubator Network.
BtoB
- With hindsight, what is the one thing you would do differently?
JF
- Always play to your strengths, stop doing stuff you're not good at. Always hire an accountant.
BtoB
- Who do you find inspirational and why?
JF
- I find people who de-construct and simplify life's challenges inspirational. People like Gary Vaynerchuk have very simple philosophies that they stick to every day.
BtoB
- What is the most inspirational book you have read recently?
JF
- Gary Vaynerchuk’s ‘Crush It’ - is a great story.
BtoB
- What is your favourite website and why?
JF
- OneMontions 3D Flash Spider http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/
But seriously Twitter.com - for the one reason that it's opened up a world of opportunities, creating millions of new relationships. Never before has it been so easy to introduce yourself to amazing and influential people.
BtoB
-What is the first thing you would do if you became Prime Minister?
JF
- I'd make high speed broadband available and affordable for every home, every business and every school.
BtoB
- What is the best thing about being in business?
JF
- The people you get to do business with. People are your business, it’s those relationships that get you out of bed in the morning and motivated to improve.
