Ben and Duran de Villiers discuss the success and creativity of entrepreneurs. Duran is a self-taught, driven and passionate engineer who has won many awards and has been featured in various publications including Forbes 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa 2015. When Duran was in his early 20s when he founded his first business, a media production company called Motion Pixel. A few years later he started an online retailer of photographic lighting equipment, which he then sold to focus on his third company, SteadiDrone, in 2012. He was just about to turn 27. He opens up the exciting world of entrepreneurship, how creativity plays a key role in it and how it's different for every person. As well as the unique opportunities that technology now opens up to us n the 21st century. Graded Links: Website: https://gradedpodcast.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Iw2csFu4olRiKFUzFQm3O Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/graded-podcast/id1679740607 Google Podcasts:https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9kZGM0ZWE2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Instagram: https://instagram.com/graded.podcast?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg== TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@graded.podcast Threads: https://threads.net/@graded.podcast Twitter: @GradedPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GradedPodcast Time code: 00:00 Intro 00:13 16 to now: How have your choices influenced your life 01:08 Do you need a plan to achieve success 02:01 What was your first step towards being an entrepreneur? 03:15 Following your passion 04:14 Fundamentals for success 05:22 Opportunities for the future 06:48 How has the business world shifted from 30 years to now 08:21 Motion Pixel: What inspired you? 10:06 Should you start early? 11:26 How crucial is school in achieving success? 13:05 What would you change in the school system? 14:35 What should we focus on to become successful? 16:05 Is University important? 17:55 What should be the step be after High School? 19:27 Lessons from an entrepreneur 21:36 Advice to those wanting to start a business 23:24 Can you be a business-owner and run a business? 23:55 Consistency is key 25:20 Staying ahead of the curve in the technology sector 27:00 Finding balance when starting a business 29:00 How achieving can motivate you 30:42 How to overcome fear when building success 33:03 Learning from failure 34:36 What is your personal definition of success? 36:30 Have you achieved success? 37:52 Most important lesson learnt 39:00 What would you say to your 16-year old self? 39:43 Outro