Edwin Onggo

Got a special one because it's our first Founder Fridays Episode from New Zealand 🥝 🇳🇿 Love when a “simple” workflow headache turns into a 100M+ user product. This week, I sat down with Max Ferguson, Founder & CEO of Lumin — the New Zealand‑born platform powering collaborative PDF editing, e‑signatures, and agreement workflows for teams around the world. We got into the real builder stuff: 👷🏻 How a frustrating paper markup process on Christchurch construction sites became Lumin’s first “must-fix” use case 🖇️ The PLG loops behind embedding deeply into Google’s ecosystem (Drive, Classroom, Gmail, Chrome) 🤯 Bootstrapping to tens of millions of users on ads, then flipping to subscriptions in ~60 days ⚙️ Running a distributed, completely bootstrapped team across Christchurch, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila (and beyond) without slowing product velocity 🔐 How AI can simplify critical workflows and raise the bar on privacy and security As someone working with founders across APAC every day, I’m especially inspired by how Lumin has stayed proudly bootstrapped, built a global product from New Zealand, and still made room for impact initiatives like free tools for K‑12 and developing markets. If you’re building from outside the usual hubs, or trying to turn a “boring but universal” problem into a global SaaS, this one will resonate. 🎧 Watch the full Founder Fridays episode with Max here: https://lnkd.in/gcugAYE2 Thanks for your time, Max!!

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Exciting News! We have collaborated with SmartCompany to write an eBook. Attitudes to Debt, How Australian Founders are rethinking business funding. For years, the startup and SME funding landscape followed a familiar playbook: take on debt, seek venture capital, or bootstrap your way forward. Lately, however, Australian founders have been rethinking their approach to funding. To find out how attitudes are changing, SmartCompany and Tractor Ventures surveyed nearly 400 SME owner/operators and startup founders. The results of this survey reveal 29% of owners and founders now prioritise ownership and control when making funding decisions, while 22% focus on minimising financial risk. Only 3% prioritise speed. This ebook unpacks the funding strategies modern SMEs and startup founders are using, explores real-world examples, and offers practical insights to help you make informed decisions when seeking finance. Get your copy here - https://lnkd.in/g2fV47se Great to work with you on this Cassandra Leong, Justine Goss, and Dan Siepen Will Hayward, Ai Mawdsley, Kevin Cooper

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If you’re a founder based out of Australia, there’s something you NEED to know about: Kiwi founders are relocating to the US 8-12 months faster than you, and it’s a PROBLEM for you. Australian founders consistently relocate to the US 8–12 months later than Kiwi founders. And it's costing them. I know why. Your market feels big enough. There's enough opportunity locally that it feels like there's more room to grow. So you delay what is tough mentally and physically: moving to a new country, taking on risk, spending money on operations, visa costs, and hiring people that don't return revenue right away. You're looking at your metrics. Your investors are looking at your metrics. And a US expansion doesn't move those metrics immediately. But here's what you're not seeing: in two to three years, your local revenue is going to look like a thin sliver across your total revenue chart. If you're a Kiwi founder, you already know this. The New Zealand market is so obviously small that you tend to go early. There's no illusion. Australia has a trap. It's big enough to feel comfortable. Not big enough to get you where you need to go. For most businesses, it's still not enough. Eventually you'll have to go to the US, the UK, the English-speaking Commonwealth countries. That's always the next step. And every month you delay is a month your competitors (who relocated earlier) are building US traction, US relationships, and US revenue while you're still telling yourself "next quarter." Stop running from the pain. It doesn't get easier by waiting. It just gets more expensive. The good news: younger Aussie founders and talent have figured this out and are moving to the US to start their companies or start work straight away!

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🚀 Thread World Tour Melbourne: BFCM Strategies That Win Key takeaways for brands gearing up for Black Friday / Cyber Monday: 🔥 Prep Early • Warm past customers with soft touches and giveaways. • VIP-first sale strategy → best deals upfront, then broader audience. 📣 Multi-Channel • Email = storytelling. • SMS = urgency. • MMS = 10x SMS revenue in AU pilots. • Omnichannel = resilience if one platform fails. 🎯 Personalisation • Product tag flows = +5–6% CTR. • Segment by browsing + recency. • AI journeys = +20% revenue in 3 months. 📩 Deliverability • Opens still matter for trends. • ISPs are quick to punish, slow to forgive. • 93% of opens come from recent engagers. 🤝 Retention • Post-sale: inspire, don’t just sell. • Win-backs = 7% of global flow revenue. • Loyalty works best when experience-driven. ⚙️ Tech & Trends • Consolidation = smarter targeting (+15% revenue lift). • 7+ integrations power the best programs. • Customers crave experience and community over blanket discounts. 👉 BFCM success comes from early prep, smart orchestration, and constant testing. What’s your #1 focus for BFCM this year? I’m here to help #ecommerce #BFCM #digitalmarketing #customerexperience #retailtech #partnerships Great to see Aaron, Jennifer, Enzo, Billy, Rad, Adam, Stephanie, Matthew, Dean, Isabella, Zoe and so many more

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