A complete guide to drive business with passion, by the speakers of Collision Conference 2019.

As Dataplayer recovers from the 4-day intensity that the Collision conference 2019 was, we reminisce on the event and the high notes it left us on.

Each attendee, exhibitor, and speaker this year seemed to follow e certain theme when it came to the topics that were discussed: a passion and persistence for what you are building.

Here is what some of the most influential and prestigious voices in the media world had to say in regards to being driven by dedication in business:

A new era of entrepreneurship

This heartening, yet very insightful discussion was conducted by Jessie Reyez (a prominent figure in the music industry), and  Michelle Zatlyn, (the co-founder of Couldflare).

Am I solving a really meaningful problem, that I really care about? Why hasn’t it been solved yet?

Michelle Zatlyn

These are important questions you need to validate before building a business. If you are quite passionate about the new solution you’re bringing to the table, you can’t pursue it alone. This is something that Michelle talks about as well, assembling a team to actually make it come to fruition. No matter how good your idea is, collaboration is key.

How can I make people come along with me?

So it all comes down to:

Bringing a solution to a meaningful problem, and building a culture within a team that will support you in each step.

They both take time, hustle and energy, but the results are definitely worth it.

Another key subject during the talk was in regards to making your own opportunities, and not be disheartened by failure. Validated learning is always important in any business.

If you don’t put your name in the hat, you will never get pulled.

The people who say no, it’s fine. It is just a step closer to the people who are going to say yes, or who are going to support you

Jessie Reyez.

Creativity, technology, and a good business model.

There’s power in collaboration, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, can definitely attest to that. Besides being a very skilled actor and producer, he is also the Co-Founder of the online platform HITRECORD. It is the community that works on various kind of art and media projects together, where everyone builds off of each other’s contributions.

He emphasized the importance of creative collaboration over self-promotion, in order to be able to conceive something truly meaningful.

However, in building his business model, he realised quickly that:

If we wanted anybody to come and lead a project, we needed better technology

To elaborate, Joseph continued talking about how social media platforms don’t have a negative influence because of the tech being used, but rather more because of the business model they work on:

“There isn’t really a way for the business model of those media tech platforms to measure and monetize a meaningful creative experience … you start thinking while you’re singing or writing, is this going to get a lot of likes? How many followers is this going to get me? And I think that’s not really good for the creative process,” Gordon-Levitt.

Last but not least, Talent!

I think the talent is probably the most fundamental part of this transformation and the hardest to do. If we think winning in this business is about being a great technology company, then we’ve got to have the talent of a great technology company.

Robert Alexander, CIO of Capital One

It’s no shocker that the conversation about talent acquisition, and obviously nurture is a hot trend within the industry. In order for any business to be able to transform, finding skilled workers is a critical aspect of the process.

However, more and more executives are speaking out on the frustrations of how traditional academical models,  aren’t engaging in the skill sets we need for the future. Therefore, education within your organisation should be pivotal in building the generation that will take it to the next level.

We are living in a world where tech companies and startups have the ability thanks to digital transformation to reshape the way we live.  And with over +25000 attendees, from which +3750 were CEOs, we certainly think this conference is continuously paving the way for that!