Daragh is the CEO of Enablo and responsible for… well, all the things! From initial engagement with prospective clients to running proofs-of-concept and providing the best value solution set to Enablo customers, Daragh is an enablement unicorn.
With 17+ years experience in technology across a range of both technical and sales roles working for the likes of Microsoft, Cloud Sherpas, and several startups, Daragh has acquired a pertinent set of skills and brings a unique perspective to Enablo and our customers.
He is best for being able to gain a deep understanding of how his customer’s organization works, whilst building a relevant solution set to assist them with adopting new technology, productivity and collaboration platforms. Daragh also acts as an advisor to a select number of organizations in various fields across Australia.
Question time!
How do you manage the operational requirements of owning and running a business?
“With difficulty!” Daragh laughs. “We use lots of smart tech to help us do it. We use Workplace to work openly with the team and ensure our team is across information we need to share as a business. We manage and assign tasks diligently through Asana and run daily standup meetings to keep the team in sync. We have a bot on Workplace that helps gather information from the team, formulates a post and keeps our calls streamlined and short.”
Can you pinpoint fundamental tasks that come with being CEO?
“Having a high level of understanding on what the team is working on; 1:1’s with team members on a regular basis; regular touchpoints with all of our customers, including existing and maintaining relationships with past clients; ensuring we manage our key partners in a way where they feel they are an extension of Enablo. Staying on top of things that are happening with industry trends, news and changes in the way we work is imperative.”
What skills have you derived from your career that have contributed to the successful running of Enablo?
“Problem-solving and relationship building are critical. I am a heavy user of smart tech that gets the job done and resilient when it comes to excessive travel.”
Can you share an example of how these skills have been applied?
“The breakthrough moment of Enablo was when I was leaving my previous role at Microsoft. A senior manager who I had little interaction with heard I was leaving and reached out to thank me for my time and contributions to the company and asked what I was planning to do. He was close friends with some of the Facebook employees working in the partnership team and ultimately made the most important connection that started the Enablo journey.”
Can you share some obstacles that have challenged you and how you’ve overcome them?
“One of the challenges I face as CEO is seeing opportunities and wanting to capitalize on them straight away. I know in my gut they are the right moves to make. However, working with the Board helps me think for a moment and act on these ideas correctly to identify the greatest potential for the company.”
As lessons learned, what advice would you give to people looking to start their own venture?
Do it! But make sure you have a reasonable level of financial stability behind you; get the support of your family who know that your crazy hours, pain and constant travel won’t cause you issues at home and find awesome and experienced co-founders to do it with. Most importantly, put a strong Board of Directors (not an “Advisory Board”) in place that doesn’t just have the co-founders of the team but people who have a wealth of experience in the industry you are going after or the type of organization you are trying to build. I feel this can make or break your success.
And finally, what is the best part of your job?
“Delivering success to our clients; being recognized by Facebook as one of their leading partners globally and watching a team of amazing people come together to help us build Enablo. I couldn’t be more grateful for everyone who contributes to our success!”
We hope you enjoyed our blog post! Keep an eye out for upcoming post’s on the rest of the team here at Enablo.
