Finlay Campbell at the young age of 14 launched an online music streaming platform start-up Defani One, with fellow student Thomas Summerfield. He has through his entrepreneurial pursuits had the chance to travel to the United States of America with Crimson Education’s STEM Accelerator program, visiting the headquarters of some of the world’s leading organisations, such as Twitter and Facebook. Finlay has resultantly met a number of business professionals and is well on his way to paving his way to success.

Fascinated by the business journey of this young man, we had him answer a few questions about his experiences thus far.

1) How would you best describe Defani One?

Defani One is a music streaming platform launched in October 2016, Similar to Spotify and Soundcloud, the website allows users to upload and share their original music, and interact. In late 2016, Defani One was invited to join Microsoft’s elite BizSpark Program, a three-year program which included over $10,000 worth of Microsoft Azure Cloud Services Credit.

“It's important not to give up, but to learn from your mistakes and keep trying."

2) What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

From an early age, I always had a strong interest in Technology. I was inspired to become an entrepreneur because I wanted to turn my interests reality with a start-up, which could support emerging artists in the music industry. I wanted to start something of my own and Defani One was the perfect opportunity.  

3) Who supported you in creating/building your business?

I was heavily supported by a range of people when developing Defani One. My parents played a massive role in supporting me throughout the process. Along the way, I was fortunate to make connections to other likeminded entrepreneurs including the team at Creative Forest in NZ. Microsoft supported us by providing essential cloud computing services, which we could otherwise have not afforded.

“Try different ideas until you find something that works.”

4) What advice would you give to aspiring young entrepreneurs?

The most important advice I could give to aspiring young entrepreneurs is try different ideas until you find something that works and to make mistakes. Over the years, I have come up with a huge array of ideas, but many never made the cut. It’s important not to give up, but to learn from your mistakes and keep trying.

5) To what extent would a platform like Kebloom have helped you achieve your dreams?

A platform like Kebloom would have made the journey launching my start-up Defani One a whole lot easier. When developing my start-up, I found that there was a major lack of digital resources for teen entrepreneurs online. I had to educate myself through a process of trial and error. Having a fantastic platform to learn about business skills, entrepreneurship and financial literacy like Kebloom would have saved valuable time and money. I think its essential for the next generation to learn these skills, as these will be a necessity for the future.

6) What skills have you developed since being an entrepreneur?

Through launching a start-up, I developed many practical skills including registering a business, learning how to run a successful crowd funding campaign, accounting, digital marketing and advancing my technical skills in the fields of hosting, security and development. As well as these practical skills, I have also learnt the importance of time management, confidence and curiosity, which I believe are all essential traits to have in the business world.

About the Author:

Ellie McRae is the blogger, interviewer and content creator for Kebloom! When she’s not writing kick-ass articles, you’ll find her studying marketing and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Find out more about Ellie here.