The Tech Entrepreneur

Episode Summary:

Today’s guest on TechEntrepreneur is Darren Auld, which is TechEntrepreneur’s host and one of the Founders at ClearSky. He’s going to tell his story and explain why he was drawn to Tech and the things he learned in his journey.

We’re going to learn about the challenges that come with running your own business, the
importance of learning, and the value of mentorships.

Darren will explain the kind of mindset typical of a great IT supplier, what he looks for when
recruiting and why he believes the focus of IT projects should be helping people. He will also share which advice he would give to his past self and what he would do differently.

We’re going talk about some of the current business leaders in innovation like Elon Musk and
Jeff Bezos and how their solution-driven models have succeeded in the market.
Enjoy the episode and we’d be happy if you could leave us a review.

Quotes

“There's a massive difference between a Dev that's just good at tech or a Dev that's good at
tech and good with people. Sometimes it's a detriment to be a rockstar at tech but not a good
team fit." Darren Auld

"If you look at government projects in IT they’re traditionally, at least the well-known ones...they cost millions of pounds, they’re often delivered late or not at all, and then they go over budget and people wonder why people would invest money in IT” Phil Telfer

Timestamps:

● 0:34 Guest introduction
● 1:13 Darren’s career highlights
● 3:04 Why did Darren start his own business?
● 5:01 The mindset behind IT solutions
● 5:54 Things learned at ClearSky
● 7:05 Facing adversity in business
● 8:17 The character of a good IT supplier
● 10:23 Recruiting
● 14:01 Mentorship in Business
● 16:56 Amazon’s success
● 18:56 Pieces of advice to past self
● 20:29 Wrap up and future episodes

Links:

Brought to you by ClearSkyLogic, find out more at:
www.clearskylogic.com

Episode Summary:

Today’s guest on TechEntrepreneur is Darren Auld, which is TechEntrepreneur’s host and one of the Founders at ClearSky. He’s going to tell his story and explain why he was drawn to Tech and the things he learned in his journey.

We’re going to learn about the challenges that come with running your own business, the
importance of learning, and the value of mentorships.

Darren will explain the kind of mindset typical of a great IT supplier, what he looks for when
recruiting and why he believes the focus of IT projects should be helping people. He will also share which advice he would give to his past self and what he would do differently.

We’re going talk about some of the current business leaders in innovation like Elon Musk and
Jeff Bezos and how their solution-driven models have succeeded in the market.
Enjoy the episode and we’d be happy if you could leave us a review.

Quotes

“There's a massive difference between a Dev that's just good at tech or a Dev that's good at
tech and good with people. Sometimes it's a detriment to be a rockstar at tech but not a good
team fit." Darren Auld

"If you look at government projects in IT they’re traditionally, at least the well-known ones...they cost millions of pounds, they’re often delivered late or not at all, and then they go over budget and people wonder why people would invest money in IT” Phil Telfer

Timestamps:

● 0:34 Guest introduction
● 1:13 Darren’s career highlights
● 3:04 Why did Darren start his own business?
● 5:01 The mindset behind IT solutions
● 5:54 Things learned at ClearSky
● 7:05 Facing adversity in business
● 8:17 The character of a good IT supplier
● 10:23 Recruiting
● 14:01 Mentorship in Business
● 16:56 Amazon’s success
● 18:56 Pieces of advice to past self
● 20:29 Wrap up and future episodes

Links:

Brought to you by ClearSkyLogic, find out more at:
www.clearskylogic.com

Episode Summary:
Today’s topic on The Tech Entrepreneur is the UK energy market, how tech changes are affecting it and what that might mean for the future of energy in the UK!

We’re going to discuss the importance of data in the industry and how the lack of information can affect profitability and put suppliers out of business in the long run.

Phil will explain how the smart meters can help to solve this problem and provide a better experience for the clientele, reducing friction for both suppliers and customers.

We’re going to learn about how the Electric-Vehicle Market will switch the focus from fossil fuels to electricity and how this will make people more aware of electricity costs.

Solutions like a peer-to-peer market could provide a more cost-effective way to access energy, the same way that Transferwise disrupted the currency exchange industry.

Ultimately we’re gonna examine the role of the government in this innovation process and how tech and entrepreneurship can help solve these issues faster given the right environment.

Enjoy the episode and we’d be happy if you could leave us a review.

Hosts Bio:

The hosts Darren and Phil share their insights from years of experience building software for the energy utility sector. From complex energy billing systems, smart meter integration, to digital products like mobile apps. They’ve seen how the UK energy market sector evolved throughout the years and are here to discuss its future and current dynamics.

Quotes

“Less than 20% of the customers provide reads on a regular basis for non-smart meters.And that's crazy because the whole energy supply business is based on the assumption that they'll get paid for the actual energy that is used." Darren Auld

"Entrepreneurship can move much more quickly and can solve problems that large organisations and government bodies can't solve because they're too big and they move too slowly.” Phil Telfer

Timestamps:

● 0:21 Episode Introduction

● 1:12 The importance of Data in the UK energy market

● 3:19 Smart meters and their benefits

● 6:04 Energy Supplier rates changes

● 6:55 The role of friction in business models

● 9:48 How EV will change energy consumption

● 14:57 How different energy sources affect taxes

● 17:26 The peer-to-peer energy model of the future

● 20:36 The Government's role in regards to innovation

● 22:44 Ideas for future episodes

Links:

Brought to you by ClearSkyLogic, find out more at:

www.clearskylogic.com

Episode Summary:
Today’s topic on The Tech Entrepreneur is the UK energy market, how tech changes are affecting it and what that might mean for the future of energy in the UK!

We’re going to discuss the importance of data in the industry and how the lack of information can affect profitability and put suppliers out of business in the long run.

Phil will explain how the smart meters can help to solve this problem and provide a better experience for the clientele, reducing friction for both suppliers and customers.

We’re going to learn about how the Electric-Vehicle Market will switch the focus from fossil fuels to electricity and how this will make people more aware of electricity costs.

Solutions like a peer-to-peer market could provide a more cost-effective way to access energy, the same way that Transferwise disrupted the currency exchange industry.

Ultimately we’re gonna examine the role of the government in this innovation process and how tech and entrepreneurship can help solve these issues faster given the right environment.

Enjoy the episode and we’d be happy if you could leave us a review.

Hosts Bio:

The hosts Darren and Phil share their insights from years of experience building software for the energy utility sector. From complex energy billing systems, smart meter integration, to digital products like mobile apps. They’ve seen how the UK energy market sector evolved throughout the years and are here to discuss its future and current dynamics.

Quotes

“Less than 20% of the customers provide reads on a regular basis for non-smart meters.And that's crazy because the whole energy supply business is based on the assumption that they'll get paid for the actual energy that is used." Darren Auld

"Entrepreneurship can move much more quickly and can solve problems that large organisations and government bodies can't solve because they're too big and they move too slowly.” Phil Telfer

Timestamps:

● 0:21 Episode Introduction

● 1:12 The importance of Data in the UK energy market

● 3:19 Smart meters and their benefits

● 6:04 Energy Supplier rates changes

● 6:55 The role of friction in business models

● 9:48 How EV will change energy consumption

● 14:57 How different energy sources affect taxes

● 17:26 The peer-to-peer energy model of the future

● 20:36 The Government's role in regards to innovation

● 22:44 Ideas for future episodes

Links:

Brought to you by ClearSkyLogic, find out more at:

www.clearskylogic.com

Every business wants to do more! What happens when you need to scale up your software development projects ? Usually it means hiring a new team within your existing organisation or outsourcing to a software development agency. 

In this episode we have Darren Auld and Phil Telfer are diving into their considerable experience, taking us through some of the pitfalls in outsourcing or insourcing product development. The episode covers the symptoms to look out for, what the root cause might be and some ways you can avoid running into similar issues.  

Every business wants to do more! What happens when you need to scale up your software development projects ? Usually it means hiring a new team within your existing organisation or outsourcing to a software development agency. 

In this episode we have Darren Auld and Phil Telfer are diving into their considerable experience, taking us through some of the pitfalls in outsourcing or insourcing product development. The episode covers the symptoms to look out for, what the root cause might be and some ways you can avoid running into similar issues.  

After a few months of intense recruitment at ClearSky, a difficult statistic has come up. Less than 20% of candidates for our roles are female. On this podcast we talk to Kimberley Holding & Tina Little who are senior members of the team at ClearSky currently recruiting, they share some of their experiences, advice and talk about ways we can combat this issue in the industry. 

After a few months of intense recruitment at ClearSky, a difficult statistic has come up. Less than 20% of candidates for our roles are female. On this podcast we talk to Kimberley Holding & Tina Little who are senior members of the team at ClearSky currently recruiting, they share some of their experiences, advice and talk about ways we can combat this issue in the industry. 

In this episode Darren discusses the top 3 problems he see's holding businesses back which can be solved by Tech. Whether you own or work in a growing business you are certain to run into some of these problems so its well worth a listen. 

In this episode Darren discusses the top 3 problems he see's holding businesses back which can be solved by Tech. Whether you own or work in a growing business you are certain to run into some of these problems so its well worth a listen.