#EntrepreneurMonth: Pivoting on disruption

Deborah Hartung, founder of Pivot PeopleTech

This Entrepreneur Month, we chatted with Hartung about the double-edged entrepreneurial sword and challenges small businesses face, as well as the importance of just doing "you".

Tell us a bit about yourself and Pivot PeopleTech

I am passionate about people and technology, and super excited about the future world of work. I love working with young leaders and innovative people, and I love how the startup community has really been kicking traditional HR’s ass with creating amazing places to work. More and more I have found that line managers and business owners want to be able to manage their people issues and challenges confidently and competently, without some of the obstacles that traditional HR creates, and Pivot PeopleTech is all about enabling business leaders – whether startups, seasoned entrepreneurs or corporate managers – to do just that. We empower you and enable you to do these things yourself, without formal HR training and without expensive lawyers and consultants.

What was the driving force behind the creation of the company?

Back in 2008, when I started consulting, I actually wanted to do this already. I wanted to sell digital downloads to clients, but the e-commerce technology in SA just really wasn’t where it is now. Also, I think consumer behaviour was a lot different because people were still super scared of things like internet banking, so they were a lot less likely to buy something online and pay via EFT or enter their credit card details.

Thankfully, thanks to advances in technology, all of that has changed and consumers are confidently buying all manner of things online.

I have been doing this work for over 15 years now. I consult and train and even lecture HR Management and I have all of this knowledge and all these templates and forms that are basically sitting and ‘gathering dust’ – for lack of a better phrase – on my hard drive. This is a way for me to share my knowledge with a lot more people, in a really accessible and affordable way.

What are some of the challenges you've faced getting started and how did you overcome them?

The main challenge for me – which is still ongoing – is building up that trust and legitimacy with small business owners especially. Many people still seem to want to physically speak to someone first and get a contract of employment emailed to them, almost like they don’t trust the system and the technology that enables them to pay via credit card or EFT and have an instant digital download delivered to their inbox.

The second challenge is marketing and, from a strategic perspective, it’s rather interesting because, in this space, you are marketing both B2B and B2C, which requires entirely different approaches. It’s imperative to get competent marketing assistance from the outset.

What are the best and worst things about being an entrepreneur?

I call it the ‘feast/famine/freedom double-edged sword’.

Everyone knows that it’s financially risky to work for yourself and there are ups and downs. The freedom is actually also a double-edged sword because as much as you think you will have all this time to get your health in check and go to the gym more and spend more time with your kids, the truth is that you have a lot less freedom and free time than you have in the corporate world. You work more and longer hours and there’s no such thing as paid time off.

What's the most important lesson you've learned so far?

Just do “you”, authentically and consistently. Be clear on what your values are and what it is that you want to achieve and then work relentlessly towards those. It’s impossible for everyone to like you all of the time and that’s really okay. Just keep doing “you” and you will find the people who naturally gravitate towards you and the people you really want to do business with.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

At the rate the world is changing, that is super tough to answer! I am a proud member of the global DisruptHR movement and spoke recently at the local event in Cape Town. I will continue to work to disrupt the discipline, helping HR practitioners transform their thinking and their systems and helping business leaders create great places to work. I will keep learning and teaching and coaching and mentoring and working with others who want to change the world.

What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs just starting out?

Two words: learn and teach.

Embrace technology and learn absolutely everything you can about business and marketing and finance from a myriad incubators and startup hubs and entrepreneur networks that exist, so that you don’t become a statistic and join the pile of “failed startups”.

Share your learning and your experiences with others. Don’t ever think you’re too young or inexperienced to have something valuable to teach others. As much as you get coaching and mentoring, you can be giving back coaching and mentoring as well.