PAUL'S STORY
Paul's always had a passion and mind for business. And for as long as he can remember he's always loved to pull things apart to see how they work - and to try and find ways to make them work better.
That set the stage for Paul's first business at aged 15 making leg ropes for surfboards.
Paul was born and bred at Dee Why on the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia, just a few minutes from the sea. Back in the day, when leg ropes first arrived in Australia, he couldn’t afford them - they were about $8!
He also felt that they could be improved. So he did some ‘market research’, made a few prototypes, did a lot of ‘Product in Use’ testing, and went into production. Most weekends when the wind turned onshore in the afternoon, he rode his bike home to make the leg ropes, draw the illustrations for the advertising and packaging, and deliver a better product (by pushbike) to the local surf shops, milk bars, and hamburger joints.
That first business was a success. The second one - making flexible skateboard decks - not so much. The product 'worked', but Paul learned some valuable early lessons about business - namely, the challenges of scaling production.
Paul went on to study Business, Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at University.
He then pursued a career as a professional market researcher - which meant he was the 'voice of the customer AND the brand’ as businesses stood at a strategic crossroad - poised to make decisions that would impact the destiny of their enterprise. That also provided him with the best vantage point to understand how business, brands and people interact in the real world.
From there, he's immersed himself in all the adjacent business disciplines - Market Research and Insight Mining. Business Strategy. Brand Strategy. Marketing and Engagement. Innovation and New Product, Service and Experience Architecture.
In 2006 Paul founded Two Thirds Sky and is currently based on the Gold Coast, Australia. Two Thirds Sky travels far and wide to connect with people, with clients, and to share our thinking.
Paul loves what he does. And when he's not working he still finds time to follow his passion for design, typography, photography and music. Paul also collects vinyl records, loves snow skiing... and he jumps into the ocean whenever he can!