Tony Falkenstein (Chief Executive|Just Water International Limited) on Entrepreneurship

Where did your idea for a business come from?

Originally I saw a high growth market, being fax machines (1987), and nobody was specialising in ‘rentals’. I followed the original Xerox rental model. Two years later I was looking for an office product to rent, and decided that water coolers’ had potential…now we have 65,000 units around Australia and New Zealand.

How do you feel your government encourages entrepreneurship?

I think Government takes the more traditional approach of encouraging ‘research and development’, while I am a supporter of ‘innovation’ as the key to economic prosperity.

How are entrepreneurs regarded in your society (culture)?

The definition tends to be a moving target – even the teaching of entrepreneurship causes confusion in the definition. To start a business does not necessarily make you an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs “create needs”; business people “satisfy needs”.

Tony Falkenstein |Chief Executive| Just Water International Limited

www.justwater.co.nz