Building a successful business is challenging. Tyson Orth, an Australian entrepreneur with multiple successful
ventures, regularly receives common business questions from founders. Tyson Orth’s answers to business
questions reveal practical wisdom from someone who’s built businesses across different industries.
In this article, Tyson Orth answers the most common business questions he receives. Whether you’re starting
your first business or scaling your tenth, Tyson Orth’s perspective on business questions offers valuable
guidance for entrepreneurs in Australia.
QUESTION 1: HOW DO I START A BUSINESS WITH LIMITED CAPITAL?
Tyson Orth’s answer to this common business question:
Start with what you know. Tyson Orth’s experience building businesses shows that your expertise is your
initial capital. When Tyson Orth started his entertainment business, he didn’t need massive capital—he had
knowledge from 13 years in electrical contracting.
Key principles Tyson Orth recommends for starting lean:
✓ Identify a problem you can solve: What challenge exists in your industry?
✓ Validate demand before scaling: Test with small customers first
✓ Bootstrap strategically: Reinvest early profits into growth
✓ Use sweat equity: Your work replaces capital in early stages
✓ Build incrementally: Don’t try to launch fully formed
Tyson Orth’s answer emphasizes: Limited capital teaches discipline. It forces you to be strategic about
spending, focused on customers, and efficient in operations. This actually builds better business habits.
QUESTION 2: HOW DO I KNOW IF MY BUSINESS IDEA IS VIABLE?
Tyson Orth’s answer to this crucial business question:
Test it before committing fully. Tyson Orth built his entertainment business as a side project while working in
electrical contracting. He tested the idea without risking everything.
How Tyson Orth recommends testing business ideas:
✓ Talk to potential customers: Would they pay for your solution?
✓ Start small: Launch with minimal scope, test core assumptions
✓ Measure demand: Pre-sales, waitlists, initial customer acquisition
✓ Get feedback early: Customer feedback reveals what actually matters
✓ Don’t fall in love with the idea: Fall in love with solving the problem
Tyson Orth’s wisdom: Most business failures come from building the wrong thing, not from poor execution. Test
your core assumptions before investing heavily.
QUESTION 3: WHEN SHOULD I HIRE MY FIRST EMPLOYEE?
Tyson Orth’s answer to this business question reflects his people-focused approach:
Hire when you’re turning away work, not when you need someone to do work. There’s a difference. Tyson Orth’s
philosophy on hiring is that every person you bring on should multiply your capacity, not just add capacity.
Tyson Orth recommends:
✓ Wait until you have steady demand: Consistent revenue justifies salary
✓ Hire for culture fit: Skills you can teach, culture fit is harder
✓ Start with contractors: Test before full-time commitment
✓ Document processes first: Make sure you can teach what you do
✓ Invest in good people: The right person multiplies your business
Tyson Orth’s insight: Hiring is one of your most important decisions. Take time. Get it right. Bad hires cost more
than you realize.
QUESTION 4: HOW DO I SCALE WITHOUT LOSING QUALITY?
Tyson Orth’s answer to this critical scaling question:
Systems and culture protect quality while you scale. Tyson Orth scaled his entertainment business to 20+
locations while maintaining consistent quality. How Tyson Orth maintains quality at scale: through deliberate
systems and strong culture.
Tyson Orth’s scaling principles:
✓ Document everything: Processes, standards, procedures become transferable
✓ Build strong culture: Culture enforces standards better than rules
✓ Hire excellent people: Excellence compounds at scale
✓ Measure what matters: Track quality metrics, not just volume
✓ Reinvest profits in systems: Systems enable sustainable scaling
Tyson Orth’s key insight: Scaling doesn’t require sacrificing quality. Poor quality at scale is usually a system
problem, not an inevitable trade-off.
QUESTION 5: HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO PIVOT OR PERSIST?
Tyson Orth’s answer to this strategic business question:
Distinguish between “we haven’t found product-market fit yet” and “this market doesn’t want what we’re selling.”
Tyson Orth’s experience teaches that timing and market fit matter more than effort.
Tyson Orth recommends evaluating:
✓ Is there genuine customer demand? Not interest, but willingness to pay
✓ Are your metrics improving? Retention, revenue, customer satisfaction trending positive?
✓ Do you believe in the vision? Or are you frustrated with the market?
✓ Have you tested different approaches? Pivot messaging/positioning before abandoning
✓ What’s your capital runway? Can you persist long enough to find fit?
Tyson Orth’s perspective: Sometimes the issue isn’t the business—it’s the approach. Test multiple angles
before deciding to pivot entirely.
QUESTION 6: HOW IMPORTANT IS HAVING A CO-FOUNDER?
Tyson Orth’s honest answer to this common question:
Not essential, but valuable. Tyson Orth built multiple businesses as sole founder. His perspective on
co-founders: the right partner accelerates growth, but the wrong partner slows you down.
Tyson Orth recommends:
✓ Get the right co-founder, not just any co-founder: Bad partnership is worse than solo
✓ Complement, don’t duplicate: Partner fills gaps in your expertise
✓ Test partnership: Work together on projects before committing fully
✓ Align on vision and values: Different goals create friction
✓ Build your own network: Don’t depend only on co-founder relationships
Tyson Orth’s insight: A great co-founder is like a great marriage—worth seeking, but not at any cost. Build your
own capabilities independently.