I’m a big believer in doing an excellent job in whatever you do. And if you see something being done in a terrible way, fixing it. Through delivering my first big order of 400 cycling jerseys I learned how the custom apparel industry would normally work. Most of OTG’s big competitors have teams of 20, 50 and even up to 100 people to handle every step of the process: sales, design, development of the product, quality control, production management, tracking of where the order is up to, quality control before dispatch and delivery.

It would happen like this. A salesperson would meet with a client who wanted a custom-designed product to find out what they were after. The salesperson would talk to the graphic designer, who would develop a mood board of designs. The salesperson would take this mood board back to the customer and try to sell it. If they closed the deal, the graphic designer would talk to preproduction to get all the files ready for the factory. Then they would send the files to the factory, and pay the factory. The factory would likely have a lot of questions about the details of the items, and they would go back and forth until it was all ironed out. At this point the factory would manufacture the garments, quality control would check them, and then the order would be dispatched. The whole process usually took three months. Alternatively, a customer could drive to a store and choose from a limited number of plain-coloured shirts that were on the shelf, and from there figure out themselves how to get the shirts printed.

I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is a painfully long process for customers, and it’s painfully complicated for the companies. Why? Let’s make it simple’. I wanted to make it possible for someone sitting in a café, on their iPad, to design their own custom apparel then and there, with a wide range of choices for every part of the design. I wanted them to be able to click ‘Order’ and receive their garments in only a few weeks, rather than three months. And so I turned my mind to how I could improve the whole process. No-one in the industry had built a full, end-to-end system, but I was determined to figure it out.

I started with cycling garments first, for which we created the software automation for the cycling jerseys and bottoms. Then we built the cycling wind vest, and the cycling jacket. Then the long bottoms. Then someone asked if we could do basketball uniforms. We said ‘yes’, and built the files and automation for those uniforms. We took pre-ready files from the factory, learned where the gaps were for the basketball apparel, fixed the files, and with them made basketball jerseys followed by basketball shorts. Now we had another category! Then we built a category for soccer, and rugby, and volleyball, and netball, and today we have 20 different categories and over 1 million options.

We’ve achieved this by taking the effort we’d put into one product, prepopulating it, and utilising it again and again and again for other products. And while building these out, we were constantly iterating the serviceability. It wasn’t all online and easy to begin with. We bootstrapped the business and slowly developed the technology, the software and our website. But from the beginning it was our service that was really different. Even when we didn’t have the fully transactional website where people could design their products themselves, I made sure we had our offshore design teams sign a service level agreement to have a maximum turnaround time of 24 hours, whereas other companies were still taking weeks.

The road to the dream

After dropping out of uni to work on OTG full time, I learned everything I needed to run a business. I set up the accounting software, I did all my own bookkeeping, and I was selling and selling and selling like mad. Six months in, I got to the stage where I needed someone to help me with the order processing and other bits and pieces, so I brought in an intern. He loved the business, and once he’d finished the internship I was able to afford keeping him on as a staff member, which he was thrilled about. After another six months we were able to move out of my dad’s wood-turning shed-cum-office, and into my mate Stuart Cook’s office, where we rented a desk. Stuart was running what is now Australia’s biggest Mexican franchise, Zambrero. Remember: you become who you mix with! In OTG’s first year we did $100 000 in sales, and we were able to rent another desk at Stuart’s office. In the second year we doubled, and in the third year, despite major setbacks, we doubled again.

Today we essentially operate at the intersection of the customer and the manufacturer: our business is a technology conduit for the factory and the customer to connect. Our customers choose the specific custom design they want themselves, click ‘Order’, and the factory instantly starts manufacturing their apparel. We’ve achieved this by investing in our software and ecosystem to make it possible for production files to be prepopulated. This means that the moment customers choose their custom design and click ‘Order’, it automatically prepopulates all of the production files ready for the factory to make that item on the same day. For example, we have a polo shirt with 20 available designs, and within each design option there are six panel and colour changes, with 50 colour options. So that polo shirt may have about 6000 options.

We got to this point with our ethos of continually iterating and improving our products, service and software. We’ve created efficiencies not only for our customers, but for our factories too. Our factories love us. There have been challenges because OTG has grown so quickly — there are always growing pains — but I’m proud of what we’ve done, and I’m excited about where we’re going. Some companies have 400 staff doing what we’re doing with 35.

Our team is like a family, and just because I’m the CEO doesn’t mean I’m above anyone. I’m a team player — we all work together. It’s essential to have that support for each other professionally and personally because you go through so much pain together. In a fast-growing company your position changes in six months and the company (now) doubles or triples in size in a year. When that kind of extreme growth happens, everything busts and breaks. I’ve consciously made sure I’ve built an environment where it’s a ‘one team one dream’ ethos, and where we all support each other, and my executives have been critical to this. We have regular team meetings called Pow-Wow every week at 9 am on a Monday, which everyone attends — no matter what. And we have team outings every quarter to celebrate our success or failure from the previous three months.

Our company culture has to come from the top — me — and I’m inspired by how creating a supportive culture has transformed employees’ lives. In fact, OTG’s chief commercial officer, Michael, always says, ‘You don’t work at OTG, you live it. We’re like a family’. People spend a large chunk of their life working, and knowing that I can provide them with work that’s challenging and engaging, in a supportive environment, is awesome. I’m passionate about creating a hub where people’s ideas and minds can flourish, and they can do anything they want to set their mind to.

Be transparent

I’m a transparent leader. I try to be vulnerable and real, and I believe it’s so important to lead this way. It’s part of what builds the trust and is why my team gives their all to accomplish miracles together.

I’m also transparent with our ‘No Dickhead Policy’ (NDP). I have a philosophy that life is too short and there’s no point working with people who are dickheads. The other way of putting it, which I’m open and clear about, is ‘Fit in or Fuck off!’ (FIFO). It’s important to be upfront with people, and to be able to have those hard conversations. In your career, you’re going to come across people who are dickheads. It’s best if you can avoid having to work with them, but sometimes that will be out of your control. What is in your control is whether you let them affect you, and what you say to them. I might say, ‘Look, it seems as though you might have a problem with me. The fact is, we’ve got to work together. Are you okay? Is everything good with you? Because I’m feeling a bit of tension here, and I’d prefer if we could get on with it’. They might reply, ‘Oh no, no, no, there’s nothing. Sorry. I’ve been caught up with X and Y’. Or they might say, ‘Yeah, there is something’, to which I respond, ‘Cool, let’s open up about it. We’ve got to work together, so let’s go for a five-minute walk. I’ll drop everything I’ve got on because this is important’. Baggage is death! Have the conversations you need to have, clear the air and move on.

Get mentored

Mentors will massively accelerate your growth. Being mentored by someone who has already been where you want to go — who has achieved what you want to achieve — will propel you forward in whatever you do. Looking for a mentor to help you with your career, your business, your hobby, your relationships, and so on, will be one of the best things you do. There is nothing quite as awesome as learning from other people’s mistakes and successes. How did they climb that corporate ladder? How did they pull off that deal? How did they handle those tricky conversations with stakeholders? How did they negotiate a pay rise? How do they network? How do they manage their habits to get the most out of each day? Having a mentor puts another voice in your head when it comes to making decisions. What would X do? Would they go this route, or maybe try this?

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘plug and play’ associated with computers. You just plug in the hardware (keyboard, mouse or whatever it is) and the operating system recognises it automatically, installing the appropriate software, and it’s ready to use almost instantly. I use the same phrase for mentors. A ‘plug and play’ mentor plugs into your life at the right time and is ready to help with the set of problems you’re facing, personally or professionally. There are some mentors who will see you in full, who can help you shape the problem from the inside out. They’ll help you understand what your strengths and weaknesses are, and what you need to do in order to capitalise and build on those strengths, and help bridge the gaps where your weaknesses are holding you back. Other mentors will be more analytical, or perhaps more focused on the specific problem at hand. The personal and growth issues are not so much of a concern to them (not because they don’t care, but because it’s not their strength), and so you’ll find they’ll be there to help you tackle specific problems.

What a mentor looks like

A mentor is someone who has walked where you want to walk, so they can guide you on your journey. They’ve been around the block, and have insights, wisdom and street smarts to share. Mentors are people who have been successful at something, but that doesn’t always mean material success. It can be spiritual achievements, interpersonal skills or having mastered a craft. Maybe it’s marketing, or presenting, or an art form. They can be older or younger than you, any race, religion or waist size, or Star Wars or Star Trek fans.

Being in business, I’ve naturally sought out successful business-people from whom I’ve wanted to learn, and whose accountability I’ve wanted. But often you can find that the right mentor is next door, or maybe it’s a family friend or relative.

If you feel awkward asking for a potential mentor’s time, remember that people who are successful want to give back. Everyone has gone through a hard time building their careers/passions, and they are guaranteed to have had multiple people help them on the way. No-one gets there on their own. They’ll be grateful for the mentors who helped them, and will most likely enjoy the opportunity to be able to pay it forward to you. Great mentors are the ones who recognise that upon reaching the top, it’s wise to help others move up.

An example of great mentorship is how my chairman helped me through doing a massive deal with one of Australia’s largest listed companies. He had run a billion-dollar company before, so he knew what this deal would mean for our company — both the good and the bad. He was the one telling me, ‘Mick, don’t do the deal unless it’s right for us’. ‘Mick, watch out. The culture might change.’ ‘Be careful, Mick, they’re going to demand this, and that. And soon you’ll be in their office, which is likely to make the company become slow, no longer dynamic and agile.’ Him being there to keep it all in perspective, with not only the positives of the deal, but with what to be wary of, was the best help to make the big changes successful. You need to truly know where you want to be in your future, and then surround yourself with the type of people who have been there or are on a similar path.

Back yourself, but it’s wise to get mentored if you want to accelerate.

How to reach out

If you’re wanting to be mentored by someone you don’t currently know or have any connections with, the internet is your friend. I’ve spent ages scouring the internet to find a person’s email address, or if that’s failed, I’ve guessed it. See if you can find the formula for the email addresses at their work, and then put in their name and see if it works. You can also find them on LinkedIn: ask to connect and send them an InMail.

Write an upfront, friendly message so there’s no pressure on them and it’s clear you’re not trying to sell them anything — all you’re asking for is a chat.

If they respond that they’re willing to catch up, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you want out of the meeting. You need to walk in that door knowing exactly what your desired outcomes are. Do you want to just meet this person and ask a specific question, or do you want ongoing mentorship? Could they help you get your dream job, once you know each other well? Or do you have something on the table for them that you think they’d like to know about?

A few years ago, David Jones approached us to make the running singlets for their staff for the Mother’s Day Classic. I asked the lady in HR, ‘Do you mind if I get access to your CEO, if he’s wearing our product?’ She replied, ‘Oh no, I can’t give away his details’. But I knew he would be running in our gear at the Mother’s Day Classic, so the day after the event I sent him a LinkedIn request.

He didn’t answer. A month later I wrote to him again, but received no reply. So a month later I copied and pasted my message again, and I got a reply!

‘Sorry about the delay. Sure, I’ve got time on Tuesday. 30 minutes.’

‘I’ll be there.’

It was pretty daunting meeting Paul Zahra. He was in charge of a billion-dollar retail store. But I made myself stay cool and focus on what I could learn. He’s a great guy who’s had a very interesting journey, and I was full of questions. At the end of the 30 minutes he said he’d love to keep in touch. It so happened that a month later he left David Jones and had some more free time, and he reached out saying, ‘Hey Mick, how are you going? I’ve got some time. I’d love to help you out.’ I was blown away! I gratefully accepted, and he helped me structure the business for our first capital raise.

Have someone to answer to

One of the challenges of independent work or entrepreneurship is getting caught in the ‘blue sky’ and being distracted by the world of ‘bright, shiny lights’. It doesn’t matter how powerful or successful you are, if you want to maintain that level you have to answer to someone. History is littered with examples of people in power who surrounded themselves with yes-men, which caused havoc for themselves and others.

I answer to my chairman and my executive team. My chairman is my boss, and we employ him to be that for me. His job is to make the company focus on our core competencies and priorities, which we’ve mapped out together as an executive team. He holds me accountable to those core competencies and priorities, and he’s also there for key things that pop up and I need guidance on.

My executive team and I are really tight-knit too. I employ three executives — one in each of commerce, finance and merchandise — and they run the day-to-day business now. I’m still involved, but a lot less than I once was. We’re like family, and we all answer to each other, though technically they report to me. But because we’re all reporting to the board, we all answer to our chairman.

As well as having people to answer to, to hold you accountable and keep you on track, it’s important you answer to yourself. It needs to come from within. If you’re not disciplined enough to want to answer to someone properly, you’re not answering to yourself.