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Live Q & A with Internet whiz-kid Alex Hartman
June 18, 2000
Ninemsn in association with 60 Minutes presents a live interview with Alex Hartman. Alex is talking about making it in global cyber business.
Host Dave_9msn:Good evening, Alex, and welcome to the 60 Minutes chat room.
HostAlex Hartman: Hi, everyone
Host Dave 9men: Let's start with the questions.
shift: Alex, how did you get started in the online business?
Host Alex Hartman:When I was 13 I worked at a computer store and decided after a while that I was better off working for myself.
XeRRoN: Hi, I am 18 and have a few concept ideas I believe have the possibility to take off in the connected world. How does one break intc, the American scene, and what are the real possibilities for success?
Host Alex Hartman: I think the first important thing is to realise that it isn't easy to get an idea off the ground, but that you'll get there if you have absolute confidence in your own ability.
shift: Alex, how is an online business different to a more conventional business?
Host Alex Hartman: There is absolutely no barrier to entry into creating an online business.
Frog: How difficult is it for Australian businesses to get established in the US in this field?
Host Alex Hartman: It's quite difficult breaking into the network of investors and analysts in the US and it takes a great deal of time and energy.
JeremyTripp: Alex, did you focus on your studies during school or was your focus more on your dot-com project? How were your ending school results?
Host Alex Hartman: I did make a few sacrifices with my schoolwork in year 11 and 12 but my results enabled me to get into the course which I would've done otherwise.
achatter: Alex, when starting a dot-com company, what would be the best way to sell to investors/backers?
Host Alex Hartman: It is important at the outset to have a well thought through and financially sound business plan. There are now luckily several companies in Australia which provide start-up venture capital organisations such as TiNSHED.
grey-ninja: Alex, how does one find the right backers for an idea which needs financing?
Host Alex Hartman: Organisations such as TiNSHED provide start-up VC.
Dk: Alex, congratulations on your success. Can Australia still be called the clever country if our politicians are constantly neglecting the high-tech industry, forcing the smartest people to seek investment in the US?
Host Alex Hartman: Certainly the government needs to provide more support for start-up high-technology ventures.
ISP_owner_Oz: We are one of the most costly countries in the world for data. Alex, is that why you went offshore?
Host Alex Hartman: Certainly the cost structure for sta rt-up businesses in Australia makes it difficult to effectively grow the company here.
cmack: Alex, did you get any help from a government program?
Host Alex Hartman: We have not received government assistance, although there are several grant programs that provide assistance to technology start-ups.
Wonkevite: Alex, don't you need a green card to work in USA? How did you manage to live and work in the US?
Host Alex Hartman: You do not need a green card to work in the States at the outset. I have business visas allowing me to run the operation in San Francisco.
Zmaster: How do you start a Web company if you are 13 and nobody listens to your ideas?
Host Alex Hartman: It sounds corny, but the most important thing is determination and absolute belief in your idea. If it's a great product, you can build a great company around it.
Leesa: Alex, you are quite an inspiration to me. I am hoping soon to start at TAFE and get some formal IT training. Did you receive any traiming or was it just "fiddling" with the computer?
Host Alex Hartman: I was lucky enough to have come across my first computer when I was four. I think that training at TAFE or a tertiar y institution would be of great value for making a career in the IT industry.
Tanya: What exactly is it that made your business idea unique and such a success?
Host Alex Hartman: It's important to have an in-depth awareness of what is occurring throughout the market. You're able to do this b y looking at some of the US-based venture capital websites such as www.redherring.com.
dotcom: I am wondering where your original idea came from, Alex.
Host Alex Hartman: Really, it came from watching some of the people around me try to connect to the Internet, who were not interested in how the technology itself worked but wanted to access the information available through it.
Ben: What are the areas of IT that you would recommend going into? What areas have a high success rate, and what areas have a low success rate?
Host Alex Hartman: It really depends what your area of interest is. Virtually any career also has an application online. The careers in technology itself aren't the only ones available.
dotcom: Where do you believe e-commerce and the Inte rnet will take us in the futu re?
Host Alex Hartman: I think it's very difficult for anyone to predict where the industry will go from here, especially given the fact that only a few years ago the Internet giants of today were absolutely non-existent.
Realman: Alex, I have a few ideas up my sleeve. What advice would you give someone on starting up?
Host Alex Hartman: I would suggest putting your ideas into a business plan, consulting any trusted advisers and eventually putting them in front of a venture capitalist.
euphemia: What is your comment on the view that most of these companies are worth a lot on paper, but in reality they are worth little?
Host Alex Hartman: I think it's good for the stock market to be more rational about how it sees the Internet. Ultimately, it will be the area many years into the future that shows the highest growth. People won't build 10 times as many houses or buy 10 times as much Coke, but they will spend 10 times more time online and spend 10 times as much money online.
Eri: Alex, would a Bachelor in Multimedia be of benefit to me in this industry, or do you believe programming is the way?
Host Alex Hartman: I think it's important to consider any angle on the industry other than one that's purely technical.
Lee_MM: Alex, did you come up with your idea first without knowing the technology to do it, or did new technology inspire you?
Host Alex Hartman: I had a broad understanding of the technology but I also saw significant gaps in it as it existed when I first thought of the flagship product.
orikal: Is the greatest opportunity for excellence in the technical or administrative side of new e-enterprises?
Host Alex Hartman: I think there is scope and immense opportunity in both technical and managerial aspects of online businesses.
dedicated_guy: Alex, what is the most important thing you could tell someone who wants to make it big in any industry? A basic inspiring rule, etc.
Host Alex Hartman: One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name.
Analyser: Alex, do you still have contact with your school friends, such as mates, or have your friends changed?
Host Alex Hartman: I am absolutely still in touch with many of my friends from school but have developed a huge new range of them through the commercial world.
whizkid: What was it like being in charge of a huge business at the age of 15?
Host Alex Hartman: It was pretty daunting at times, but it was also exciting and a huge thrill.
David22: Alex, do you think that the future of the Internet will be in the hands of a few big players, or will the small guy always have a sporting chance?
Host Alex Hartman: I think the Internet, certainly a lot more than the normal business world, offers the small guy a sporting chance because there are no barriers to entry. To actually making it work online, whether it is successful is going to be dependent on your business model.
Locky: Alex: As part of the story tonight, it was mentioned how a couple from Australia had made a lot of money with a site about horoscopes, with people dialling in each day to see what their horoscopes say. How do they make money out of this when there is no actual sale of anything?
Host Alex Hartman: These people make money by displaying advertisements or offering other services next to their horoscope web page which is popular. It's like the newspapers making money by putting advertisement s next to stories of interest.
Jedi_Stu: Is the real money all in e-business, or can one still get rich from multimedia or networking?
Host Alex Hartman: I think there's still a suffcient mark:et to sustain multimedia and networking for a long time to come, but the blue sky is in e-business.
bj: Alex, Would you consider combining operations with another company to introduce a new product range or to streamline operations?
Host Alex Hartman: Absolutely. We consider all possibilities for the future growth of the company. Obviously, it becomes a question of the terms of the deal.
IT_TO_GO: Alex, where do you see e-commerce going in five years?
Host Alex Hartman: I think it's very difficult to predict l:he future of the Internet. My website is www.amicus.com.au
PhilH: How has the recent fall in tech stock prices affected your business and future plans?
Host Alex Hartman: The recent fall doesn't affect me at all. I think it's a very positive thing for the industry. We have a very solid underlying business.
Pip-student: Alex, how are you coping with all the media attention as a successful young businessman?
Host Alex Hartman: Pretty well.
whizkid: What did you do about education after setting up the business?
Host Alex Hartman: I have not pursued tertiary education yet, but hope to get back there when the business gives me more time.
Loanfinder: Do you see Australia following the depth of Internet acceptance as seen in the US, and in what timeframe?
Host Alex Hartman: I absolutely see that we will follow the rates of high acceptance of the Internet that have occurred in the States sometime in the next 12 months.
mel_15: Alex, do you ever get to just go crazy and act like a teenager, or do you devote all your time to your business?
Host Alex Hartman: I still get a decent amount of time to spend with my mates and do normal teenage things.
Dee_1: Alex, does holding such a large responsibility come with a lot of cons? If so, what are some of them?
Host Alex Hartman: It's certainly not as easy as people think it is to grow a business both in terms of the staff and our clients. Signifiicant amounts of time and energy go into managing that on a daily basis. It's not as easy as it looks.
gort: What does Australia contribute to the WWW?
Host Alex Hartman: There are a huge number of Austra lian-based websites and e-commerce start-ups. LookSmart, which appeared on the story, has made a huge contribution to the development of the Web, and many others will make similar impacts over the coming years.
bj: Alex, what is your target market/demographic? Do you have a niche?
Host Alex Hartman: Our target market is Internet service providers and large corporations.
tiff: Alex, how did you ensure that your idea was not taken by anyone in its development stages?
Host Alex Hartman: It was a huge risk, tiff, and at any time a better technology could have come along. Fortunately, we were first to market.
whizkid: What did your parents think when you told them you were going to set up a new business?
Host Alex Hartman: My parents have been very supportive throughout the development of the company, even though at times they haven't quite understood what I was doing.
RyanBiz: What do you think of Australia's new set of regulations regarding Internet censorship?
Host Alex Hartman: I think the intention is reasonable, but the way that the legislation was drafted will make it totally ineffective and virtually useless.
KW: Is it essential to have knowledge of computers and how they work in order to have a successful business venture on the Net?
Host Alex Hartman: It is essential to have a broad understanding of the technologies to create a successful Internet venture, but more importantly to be an effective manager and have a concept of how the technology affects existing businesses and business models.
andrew3: Alex, how do you cope with the "knockers" (ta11 poppy syndrome) and jealous types?
Host Alex Hartman: I think it's normally a sign of their own insecurity and I don't let it worry me. There are a lot of people out there who have been very supportive.
alise: Is being in the Internet business the only thing about you, or is there more?
Host Alex Hartman: There's a lot more to me.
Host Dave_9men: Could you tell us a bit about it?
Host Alex Hartman: What exactly do you want to know ?
Host Dave_9men: Do you have any other interests outside of business?
Host Alex Hartman: I've got many interests. I love all kinds of sports, music.
Kato: Alex, do you see any areas that will develop greatly over the next years?
Host Alex Hartman: I think the wireless Internet and handheld Internet access devices will be huge.
Bec: Alex, what kind of a life do you live? Has it changed heaps since you've been involved in the Net?
Host Alex Hartman: I do work a lot, so I try to have a balance and enjoy myself as much as I can. It's certainly been a very exciting ride.
Lairdy_1: Alex, how did you learn how to use the technology? Did you read books or get taught?
Host Alex Hartman: I really taught myself by playing around with a computer that I got when I was very young.
troy: Alex, what opportunities do you see for the next two years with the Internet?
Host Alex Hartman: I think there are an endless range of opportunities, ranging from e-commerce technologies to wireless devices.
Skenvoy: Alex, what was your main motivation when you were younger to get started into the business world?
Host Alex Hartman: It really flowed from a desire not to watch such huge opportunities just pass me by.
Louise: Alex, I am wanting to go online and am really unsure how to go about it. Can you suggest the best place to start.
Host Alex Hartman: I'd have a look around some newsa gents, bookshops, computer stores , there are all kinds of ways you can start. You need to find an Internet service provider.
petetiff says: Alex, how important is the human resource management function in new economy companies?
Host Alex Hartman: Tiff, I think human resources are absolutely vital, and since we have hired our human resources manager, we have never looked back.
pommy: Alex, do you feel that you have sacrificed your teen years starting so young?
Host Alex Hartman: There have certainly been sacrifices along the way, but I have no regrets at all. I think you have the most passion, and enthusiasm when you're young and it's worth capitalising on.
Host Dave_9msn: Our final question...
Mattyoud: Alex, I'm 17, in Tasmania, own my own web design/Internet hosting business. Is there some way I can contact you apart from this chat to find out some things, and run a few ideas past you?
Host Alex Hartman: It's best starting with our website at www.amicus.com.au. If you like, you can email info@amicus.net.
Host Dave_9men: Thanks again, Alex, very much for joining us and answering our questions. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Host Alex Hartman: Thank you, everyone, for your support and to Channel Nine.
Host Dave_9men: This concludes our 60 Minutes live chat with Alex Hartman, ]une 18, 2000.
Produced by ninemsn.com.au in Sydney, Australia. ninemsn.com.au 2000. Viewed 27/6/03
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