MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JOSH COMRIE
Member’s Spotlight is something that the EO APAC Bridge Marcomms team has wanted to do for a long time. When we look at the roster of members or meet them at events, we constantly walk away going, “Wow, that person is impressive.” We’ve been thinking about the best way to highlight them, and we hope these interviews give you a glimpse of how accomplished, courageous, driven, and most of all, how real they are. To add a novel dimension to this, we also generated the questions off ChatGPT, with a very detailed prompt. Come say hi to this member if you see them at an upcoming event or retreat, and most of all, enjoy the read!
– Trixie & Chelsea, MarComms co-chairs, FY 22/23
Member Spotlight: March 2023
Josh Comrie has been an EO member for 11 years, with his primary chapter being New Zealand. He resides in Auckland and joined EO APAC Bridge recently. He’s had multiple successful exits and is a prolific investor in tech and property. Building on his experiences, he also advises entrepreneurs to help them scale and create wealth. In a word, Josh is who we would call a true polymath!
Can you tell me about the moment when you first had the idea for your business? What inspired you to start it?
I founded my first company 20 years ago and I sold that business partially around 8 years ago. Alongside that, I started two other companies and have had a successful exit from one of those. Since then, I’ve started a software company, a marketing services company, and a property syndicate, so I’m not singularly focused on any one business per se. I also invest in early-stage tech companies, with a portfolio numbering 44, and do some advisory work to help entrepreneurs scale and create wealth.
Above all this, I love technology because it changes rapidly. It puts tools and capabilities into people’s hands, and it improves lives. It’s highly exciting, present in all aspects of our lives and it attracts the best and brightest minds.
What values and principles guide your business decisions?
My values are growth, connection, contribution, curiosity and love, so I make sure to exercise them in all decisions that I make and I'm sure that I reference everything back to those.
What has been the most challenging obstacle you've faced as an entrepreneur and how did you overcome it?
The most challenging obstacle was that at the beginning of 2009, I was facing an environment where competitors were going out of business and customers didn’t need projects delivered anymore. We had a very tough time for a few months, but I held firm and developed a plan. We didn’t lose any staff and even tripled in size over the next eight months or so. We eventually became one of the two largest out of that industry of about 30 other companies in New Zealand.
Can you talk about a time when you made a difficult decision that ultimately led to success for your business?
I was 12 years into my first business and feeling a little stuck and frustrated with where we were as a business. I was trying to change the business in ways that the market and the staff didn’t align with. After a year of struggling with this change inside the business, I realized it was me that needed to change. I opted to do a management buyout and sell the majority of the shares I held. I was the sole founder so selling the majority took my holdings down to 20-25%, but remaining on the Board in this capacity was the best decision I could have made for the business and for me.
How do you stay motivated when things don't go as planned?
On a bad day, I try to adopt the mindset that there’s no such thing as a good or bad day. Labels simply force comparisons, so it’s all just part of the rich experience that is life to me. We only make things good or bad by claiming them to be so. However, if I do have a challenging day, I acknowledge that it is just a day and that tomorrow will be different. What I know I must do is pick myself up, dust myself off, and move on. A physical reset is always good, so a good stretch, a cold shower, a workout, or something along these lines would be good.
Can you share a specific example of a successful project or accomplishment you're particularly proud of?
An accomplishment of note would probably be the wealth creation I’ve been able to achieve.
I’ve built businesses that have great cash flow and cash production, but they didn’t have great enterprise value, so with the money that came out of them I invested very prudently, primarily in industrial real estate. It’s been a real challenge in its own right, but it’s also been very rewarding.
What are your long-term goals for your business and how do you plan to achieve them?
The long term objectives now are really about assisting and guiding others through my advisory business. A chunk of my time is helping others create wealth, scale and exit their business. I try to pay it forward by teaching the lessons I’ve learnt to other people so that they can realize a great lifestyle from their business.
How do you balance your business and personal life?
I struggled with this consistently but I ensure that I take a day off per week. I also take one long holiday per year – about a month long. I stick to habits and routines during the week, so rising before 6 am daily, meditating, and then getting my shot of caffeine – help me build consistency and make sure that I succeed.
What do you like to do for fun?
I’m very keen on fitness so I exercise five to seven times a week. I do weight training, yoga, and tennis. I also enjoy driving fast, so I do tarmac rally events. I’m very social so I enjoy meeting with people, meeting with friends, going out to places, and such. I collect art, some of them at art galleries – we have creative days at home too, either us consuming someone else’s creations or doing our own poor efforts at home. Nature is an enjoyment for me so I go to the bush or beach for walks frequently.
What is your favorite book or movie that you would recommend?
I struggle to choose one favorite book or movie since I read voraciously. I have read around 500 growth-oriented books. Probably the two that I continue to come back to are “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius because of its timeless wisdom and the other one would be “The Servant (A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership)” by James C. Hunter, it's just a wonderful book about leadership.
If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I'd like to dine with Marcus Aurelius, who was a Roman emperor from (161 A.D. to) 180 A.D., and he was also very firm and stoic. He practiced the Stoic philosophy so he roamed the world and led through a very challenging time. He was recognized as a great humble and reflective leader. The reason why I would like to share a dinner with him is that he made some very unusual decisions like putting his son in charge as emperor at the end of his life. I would particularly like to know about that because that was a complete disaster.
