Entrepreneur and Innovation Consultant
Dunedin, New Zealand
This conversation was originally published in 2018 as part of the original Careering Conversations series.
We've lightly edited it for readability while preserving the original conversation and advice, and added an update on what Abbe has been doing since we first spoke.
When she was younger, Abbe Hyde imagined herself becoming a movie star, not an entrepreneur. Business wasn't part of the plan until she took part in the Young Enterprise Scheme during high school. It sparked an interest that eventually led her to study business at university and, later, an exchange programme in Minnesota where she discovered entrepreneurship in a completely different way.
That experience shifted everything.
Back in New Zealand, Abbe co-founded Such Crowd, a startup that helped organisations crowdsource ideas and innovation. Like many founders, she quickly discovered that building a business was nothing like learning about one in a lecture theatre. Every day brought new problems, new decisions and plenty of uncertainty.
Abbe was candid about the realities of startup life.
People often assume entrepreneurs have all the answers, but Abbe believes success comes from asking better questions, surrounding yourself with good people and being prepared to learn as you go. Building a business means making decisions with incomplete information, trusting your instincts and accepting that not everything will go to plan.
She also challenged the idea that experience always equals expertise.
Startup advice changes quickly. Someone who built a successful company twenty years ago may have valuable lessons to share, but today's startup landscape moves at an extraordinary pace. Abbe learnt to listen widely, do her homework and then make the decision that felt right for her business.
Another lesson surprised us.
Design.
Whether you're pitching investors, attracting customers or explaining an idea, being able to communicate visually makes an enormous difference. If design isn't your strength, Abbe believes recognising that early and finding people who complement your skills is just as valuable. Outsourcing isn't a weakness—it's a smart business decision.
When we asked what advice she'd give her younger self, her answers were refreshingly practical: be trustworthy, say yes to opportunities and focus on working with good people. Skills can be learnt. Great relationships are much harder to replace.
Since we first spoke
Update coming soon.
What Abbe taught us
Opportunities rarely arrive perfectly packaged. Build trust, stay curious and keep saying yes. The people you choose to work with will often shape your career just as much as the work itself.
