"True success always comes from hard work, determination and a desire to succeed. Entrepreneurs are made by the hard work they put into their projects from day one."
Evannah Jayne Tweet
Evannah Jayne is the founder and CEO of an organization called Terran Industries. They help companies to reduce their carbon emissions across their entire supply chain through consulting and then execution of specific initiatives. Evannah has studied sustainability via the University of Copenhagen and The Future of Business at The University of London. She’s also studied climate mitigation and resilience via the United Nations.
She has been interviewed as a special guest on Import Export TV. Evannah combines her experience in business and her passion for sustainable living into the core of Terran Industries, bringing to life her vision of a sustainable planet for all.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They want to know you, some of the background story to bring some context to your interview.
Evannah Jayne: Growing up in the leafy suburbs of Melbourne, I have always had a passion for nature and sustainability. From a young age, I joined and lead many nature walks and camping trips for youth clubs focusing on education of the natural world. During my 20’s I spent my time exploring various career options, trying to figure out the best fit for me. Dabbling in areas of film production to the second-hand industry, I decided that neither of those was a good option long term. I created Terran Industries from a desire to do something that the world can benefit from.
With insights from my time spent in the second-hand industry, and after vigorous research on the multiple sustainable business options, an idea was formed, to create a sustainable service-based platform that could help other companies achieve their sustainability goals. Now I am living my dream.
You are a successful entrepreneur, so we’d like your viewpoint, do you believe entrepreneurs are born or made? Explain.
Evannah Jayne: Made. Entrepreneurship isn’t just a career choice. Rather, it’s a way of thinking, a way of life. Anyone can come up with an idea, but that idea is only turned into a business by entrepreneurs who make their dreams a reality. True success always comes from hard work, determination, and a desire to succeed. Entrepreneurs are made by the hard work they put into their projects from day one.
If you were asked to describe yourself as an entrepreneur in a few words, what would you say?
Evannah Jayne: I’ve always considered myself a visionary. Focused, eager, and completely determined to succeed. For me, failure was never an option.
Tell us about what your company does and how did it change over the years?
Evannah Jayne: Terran Industries works with companies to reduce their environmental footprint through supply chain facilitation and management. Helping them set up new products, services and technology solutions within their business.
Started from a drive to tackle the climate crisis, many different business opportunities were considered in the early days. Our current service lines grew exponentially after we changed to our current business model. The initial model focused solely on eco product alternatives for applications within businesses. We rapidly grew when we saw the opportunity to offer more than just product alternatives, and started offering recycling solutions, technology solutions, energy solutions and Net Zero pathways to our clients. Giving our clients easy access to multiple environmental solutions all in one place.
Thank you for all that. Now for the main focus of this interview. With close to 11.000 new businesses registered daily in the US, what must an entrepreneur assume when starting a business?
Evannah Jayne: Making assumptions is a natural and necessary part of business, especially in the startup phase. New businesses must be bold and make bold assumptions.
If your business is to have a chance at success, you must operate under the assumption you will succeed, that your business model works, that people will come, that you can make promises to them, and that you can deliver what you promise. If you are unsure about any of these things, you shouldn’t open your doors for business.
See, the entrepreneurial assumption is how a small company competes with a big one. It’s not about power or size. It’s about mindset. When you build a business, you assume that you can do everything necessary to make it a success. You assume that you can design the business. You assume that you can build the business. You assume that you can sell the business. And then you do it. People tend to think that entrepreneurs are fearless risk-takers. The truth is, entrepreneurs are merely assuming that everything is possible for them.
Did you make any wrong assumptions before starting a business that you ended up paying dearly for?
Evannah Jayne: Thankfully I’ve had no major disasters. Before my company launched, I took an extra year to plan, research, and prepare. Rather than jumping in and launching then trying to figure it out as I went along. My business model did change a few times during this stage, and if I had stuck with any of the earlier models, I would definitely not be where I am today.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself and why? Explain.
Evannah Jayne: I would tell myself to get out of my comfort zone sooner, and start networking and looking for investors early. I was very much an introvert in my early days, and networking was a scary thought for a young woman. Once I eventually did step out of my comfort zone and joined a large networking group, was when my business really started to take off.
What is the worst advice you received regarding running a business and what lesson would you like others to learn from your experience?
Evannah Jayne: When I was setting up the business, I started doing an online course offering Rapid Sales Acceleration. The coach promptly informed me that my industry was “not viable”, and was best left to the “already rich” to handle, citing Bill Gates as his personal choice. Needless to say, I opted out of that course the following week. The lesson being one should pick their coaches and mentors carefully. Don’t choose the first person that reads well, choose someone that knows how your industry operates and someone who is willing to learn.
Being in the sustainability industry has its challenges, especially when it comes to talking to conservatives who can’t see the economic benefits of a Green Economy. It is a common misconception that economics and environmental sustainability can’t work hand in hand. When in fact the opposite is true. A Green Economy is the Next Industrial Revolution.
In your opinion, how has COVID-19 changed what entrepreneurs should assume before starting a business? What hasn’t changed?
Evannah Jayne: COVID-19 has not only changed the face of the planet, but also the world of business. Assume you have a clean slate. Even two years into COVID-19, the business world is still rapidly changing every day. However one great business aspect has come out of the Pandemic, the freedom of Zoom. With the whole world now having accepted the ability of video conferencing, the reach of your new business is now completely global. Everything from sales, to networking, to marketing, and even to staffing, are now completely global. Huge deals can be made without ever having to meet someone in person. Zoom has opened up the world of business like never before.
What is a common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be business owners believe in? What advice would you give them?
Evannah Jayne: “I’ll get it perfect before I show it to anyone.”
You’re going to constantly tweak your idea and your plan, and it’s pretty much impossible to know what’s best before you offer it up to the world and see what you get back. You should plan and prepare, but don’t spend too much time on things that could be improved — there’s no guarantee that you’ll find the right path the first ten times.
What traits, qualities, and assumptions do you believe are most important to have before starting a business?
Evannah Jayne: Passion – To drive your desire to succeed.
Self-discipline – To keep yourself accountable for your time and actions.
Determination – To keep you inspired to push through the hard times.
Resourcefulness – To accept that you don’t know everything, and research what you need to find.
How can aspiring leaders prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship? Are there any books, websites, or even movies to learn from?
Evannah Jayne: Three books I would recommend to anyone in business are The Executive Arena by Richard Spector, The New Hustle by Emma Isaacs, and The One Thing by Gary Keller. Each looking at a difference angle of business, each the best in their own field.
You have shared quite a bit of your wisdom and our readers thank you for your generosity but would also love to know: If you could choose any job other than being an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Evannah Jayne: I would have sought a career at the United Nations. Not sure exactly what capacity or position. But I have always loved them as an organisation. Their ability to unite parties and inspire change is much needed in this world.
Thank you so much for your time, I believe I speak for all of our readers when I say that this has been incredibly insightful. We do have one more question: If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, but not a politician, who would it be; why?
Evannah Jayne: Albert Einstein. Because of his contributions to the world, and as a reminder that we would not be as successful as a species as we are today, without his insights and knowledge.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Evannah Jayne for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Evannah Jayne or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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