We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Craig Morfett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Craig, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Successful entrepreneurs have one thing in common: fear. A lot of people bet everything they have on their ventures – their money, their time, their day jobs. With so much at stake, we are understandably terrified of failure.

I have left everything behind and bet everything for entrepreneurship a few times in my life – my family, my home, my education. I forfeited so much for entrepreneurship that I knew I had to make it count. Every time I felt demotivated or disheartened by my progress, I remembered what I had given up to get to where I was. I had to do justice to my sacrifices.

I call this Career Fear. If you look closely, it’s the driving force behind every accomplished entrepreneur. Career Fear keeps you on your toes, it keeps you fighting, and it keeps one eye open for the next opportunity. Career Fear doesn’t stand for slackers.

Of course, you will have hiccups along the road. Minor (and some major) failures pave the way to success. The trick is knowing how to channel the anxiety generated by them – how to put it to positive, constructive use.

Learning how to interpret fear and re-channel it will serve you well in your darkest moments.

Those that are afraid to fly will never jump. Those that are ruled by career fear will settle for less and never venture very far out to sea.

Having been an entrepreneur for many years and having surrounded myself with them, the fear is there and the desire is to keep it as far away as possible…. not every business has assessed risk, some are wants and dreams, punts and desires… don’t think every business decision is made with spreadsheets and market data.

Most are made by gut feeling and every day the fear of “your decisions” failing is ever as strong now I am “making it” as it was day one…. just now, the bets are higher.

If you have a dream or an ambition in life… go for it, what I am trying to say is…

I know you’re scared… we all are!!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a part realist, part idealist who likes to see people succeed in life. Having spent most of my professional career in high-level management and running personal ventures, I regard myself as different from the norm.

I don’t believe in standard management processes and training technics; I believe that my leadership actions directly influence those around me.

I have reached clients that require professional tailoring across digital and the day-to-day running of a “start-up” business, along with motivational sessions where all ideas are discussed and have their merit weighed and analyzed.

Over 10 years ago, I spent nearly 5 years of my life in Barcelona where I worked for a FTSE 100 company; where managing a team of such different backgrounds in two languages was a welcome challenge that left me wanting more from myself; therefore, I formed a now prospering tech company Morfett Designs.

I am actively working on a variety of current projects including:

Running Morfett Designs involves helping start-ups and SMBs increase their ROI month on month by building engaging, user-orientated websites, bespoke marketing campaigns, and ongoing consultancy to help navigate the ever-changing digital space.

Helping people leave behind their 9-5 jobs to start their own business doing something they love.

Increasing education in digital services & providing an exceptional product.

Increasing remote and virtual working opportunities for the disadvantaged.

Providing motivational sessions to SMEs who need inspiration and direction, both digitally and physically.

I love to coach and drive the best results from all individuals; my time and attention to detail for those willing to learn is unrivaled. I help people achieve their business goals by being enthusiastic, innovative, and problem-solving.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am going to keep this one short and sweet.

Be real! don’t over-exaggerate your products, be realistic with people’s expectations & budgets, always deliver slightly more than promised & care, I mean really care for your clients and their goals…. if you do these things, you will retain more clients, sleep well at night & enjoy your life and love your company!

Nearly all of my business comes from word of mouth, and as I still have my 1st ever client and my year-on-year retention is above industry standard, I must be doing something right ha ha!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

A lot of my life experience and my solid foundation for running a successful business with happy staff & clients is always going to come from real-life endeavors; I have learned from the best and the worst; I have come across business owners in the past that I avoid their actions at all costs & I have had the pleasure to work with people much better than myself & absorb as much of their influence as humanly possible.

I love the book “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard; it’s a quick read & has a lot of valuable content; I utilize a lot of “Coveys” time management processes as they help me control my ADHD & keep on task.

From a sales perspective (and remember, as a business owner, you must learn to sell!) Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss. It is written by a former international hostage negotiator for the FBI and has some incredible stories. But it also teaches you how to negotiate with different types of people and how some insignificant words can make a huge difference in the business world.

I like short, easy-to-absorb content, so I utilize TikTok & Instagram to follow clever content producers and absorb many opinions on the industry & interesting to know facts conveniently; this method can also be used when consulting to learn interesting facts on my client’s industries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://morfettdesigns.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/morfettdesigns
• Facebook: facebook.com/morfettdesigns
• Other: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/craigmorfett.com

Image Credits
Liza Morfett (Owner / Designer) Richard Morfett (My Son, 9)