Christina Domecq is the Co-Founder and CEO of SpinVox. For nearly a decade, Christina has founded and run three businesses in technology-based and management services. In 2006, she won the prestigious Ernst and Young UK Entrepreneur of the Year and the Ernst and Young Science and Technology Entrepreneur of the Year and also serves on the boards of several businesses.
You have a dramatic childhood. How did you handle losing your mother at such a young age?
Christina Domecq
From my early teens when my mother died from cancer and I took over the responsibility for raising my five younger siblings I have been very driven to push myself to the limits and live life to the maximum every single day. I embrace every opportunity that comes my way and give 100 percent effort to everything I do, every time.
How did you care for your 5 siblings at this time?
Christina Domecq
Being the eldest of six I had to play a large part in raising my five younger siblings. There's nothing that can prepare you for that so all you can do is be creative and innovative in your approach to meeting that challenge. This was probably the best preparation I could have for my professional life - any apprehension about starting a business paled in comparison. It's also true that the buzz you get from building something that could change the world - even if it means devoting yourself to it 24/7- can't be beaten.
Who supported you when you were going through these challenges? Would it have made a difference if that support wasn't there?
Christina Domecq
I have an amazing family network. And my siblings are an incredible source of support. I can't say if not having that support would have changed who I am today. Thanks to that support I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved both in my personal and professional lives.
It seems that you have been a serial entrepreneur from the start. Tell me what kinds of businesses you have had and at what ages and in which countries?
Christina Domecq
I started my first business in technology-based services in New York at the age of 20. This company, NHWC, provided IT services and training to some of the world's largest corporations, including Kraft, Nabisco, Pepsi, Pfizer and Kodak. As CEO and owner I employed over 120 staff with a turnover in excess of $14 million and sold the business in August 2002.
My next challenge, aged 25, was to turn around a luxury yacht brokerage business in Spain. After a year I sold the business, achieving a six-fold increase in value, through a private sale.
While still running the yacht brokerage I got the inspiration for SpinVox and incorporated the company in the UK in 2003 at age 26.
What lessons did you learn from being an entrepreneur at such an young age?
Christina Domecq
I learned, like many entrepreneurs, that the business you start at the beginning is not the business that is necessarily going to be brought to market. SpinVox started out selling our service direct to the consumer and, having proved the concept, we found the real value of the service is making it available through carrier networks and on unified communications platforms. Recognizing what the true market opportunities for your business are and having a solid team with you to evolve the business is truly what makes the difference for success.
What was expected from you as a Domecq family member? What was your mental environment? Who supported you? Who was your champion?
Christina Domecq
My family is the same as every other family - we all want the best for one another and to pursue the things in life that are our passion. I have always been incredibly driven - and my siblings have been my biggest supporters. And, having 5 siblings - I had a lot of champions!
What inspires you?
Christina Domecq
I've always been inspired by people that chart their own path and make a positive impact on the world. Bill Gates is someone I greatly admire on this front. He not only changed the way we interact with technology in our daily lives, the Gates Foundation's philanthropic initiatives around the globe have inspired countless others and raised awareness of the impact even the smallest contribution can make in the health of those in developing nations and war torn countries. In sport, my ultimate hero is Lance Armstrong who conquered cancer to become the greatest cyclist ever.
I'm told that you are a philanthropist. Why orphanages in Africa? What draws you to helping children?
Christina Domecq
I've always been interested in helping people - be it underserved children or budding entrepreneurs trying to get their start. Always bitten by the entrepreneurial bug I'd run lemonade stands to raise money for charity as a child. Several years ago I became involved with the Ubombo village in South Africa, helping fund an orphanage in which houses 150 children, in an area beset with poverty and HIV. In addition to housing, the orphanage provides a safe haven for all children in the area and offers education classes to children of all ages from those barely old enough to walk to those in their teens.
I've recently started work on phase two of what I like to call the Ubombo Journey, including partnering with SaveTheRain.org to build rainwater collection systems to bring clean water to the village and initiatives such as a bakery and pottery business that will help create new revenue streams for the community.
Tell me about the Race Across America bike race?
Christina Domecq
RAAM has been on my radar for quite some time. Every year, I set my sights on conquering a new goal - usually involving an extreme sport or endurance event that pushes my personal envelope further. And for 2009, I decided this was the year I would conquer RAAM.
Known as the ‘world's toughest bike race',Race Across America brings together more than 50 solo and team riders to complete a grueling 3,000 mile ride from California to Maryland. The course runs from California to Maryland across some of the harshest terrain and weather conditions known to man. I'm riding this year's event with my riding partner Ian Rolls and we've set a couple goals for the race such as beating the record for the fastest mixed team finishing time - eight days or less, and raising $500,000 for ACCION USA to provide microloans and business training resources to microentrepreneurs in financially underserved communities.
All in all I expect RAAM to be one of those great life experiences that define who you are as a person.
I hear you are up every morning at 3AM to ride. What is your philosophy behind having a 22 mile ride every week for your execs?
Christina Domecq
I've long been active in extreme sports. In addition to the marathons (including NY on a number of occasions) and triathlons around the world in which I've competed, I also never pass up an opportunity to ski or climb mountains, sail, surf or fly (I have a helicopter pilot's license). This is a lifestyle choice for me. I believe that fitness of mind goes with fitness of body. This applies to both my professional and personal lives.. My philosophy is that everyone is at their best when driven, and I encourage all my team to over-deliver and to amaze themselves.
What does "Clip in and Climb on" mean? How does this philosophy relate to mountain climbing?
Christina Domecq
At SpinVox we use mountain climbing as a theme that underpins our cultural values and ambition. It's about ascending steep, sometimes unexplored terrain with a team of highly trained and courageous climbers and guides - making our way together around ice falls, avalanche-prone ledges and going places no one has yet dared. Our simple mantra is to "clip in and climb on", achieving together what others thought impossible.
I think the thing to do is to constantly set yourself new challenges and push the bar ever higher as you do so. It helps if the challenges appear frightening at first, that way you'll constantly surprise yourself at what you can achieve if you put your mind to it.
Tell me about your experience in 2002 when you were climbing Mt Blanc in Chamonix, France and met Daniel Doulton who was taking a year out of the technology business to run a paragliding school?
Christina Domecq
Some people you are just destined to meet. While on holiday in 2002 I was climbing Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France and struck up a conversation with Daniel Doulton who was taking a year out of the technology business running a paragliding school there. While working together on a business partnership in Spain and spending a day running around from meeting-to-meeting we had the `eureka` moment in 2003 for what became our company SpinVox.
Have you ever taken a year off to play or explore your options as Daniel did?
Christina Domecq
Because my professional life has been as an entrepreneur I have been charting my own course since my first business at age 20. I truly enjoy what I do - and have always believed in a work hard, play hard philosophy. I enjoy each day to the fullest and because of that I have never taken extended leaves between my professional ventures.
What has been the most inspirational of all the journeys you have taken abroad? And why?
Christina Domecq
My travels to Africa and visiting the people of Ubombo (KwaZulu Natal region) has been incredibly inspiring. The joy of the people and the beauty of the region is so wonderful to experience. Through this I became involved in helping build an orphanage in the village. Because of lack of adequate medical resources and high mortality rates many children in the KwaZulu Natal region are left without any family. And thanks to local caretaker Dawn Irons, today the orphanage also provides early childhood education to children in the area. It's been incredible to see the impact the orphanage has had on the village and has inspired me to work with the local community on other initiatives for the village such as clean water and revenue building opportunities.
Christina Domecq
I understand you support SpinVox also sponsors a series for people involved in extreme sports and athletics such as an Olympic canoeist, an ulramarathon runner and a Lisboa-Dakar race driver? Tell me about this too?
At SpinVox we enable people to speak freely - say what you mean, in the moment without having to sit down to a computer and type out the words. Inherently the filter between the head and hand in typing the words takes out the dynamic nature of speaking your thoughts as something happens. Since I know first-hand the wide range of emotions that go through an athlete's mind whether they are a father/son team trekking to the North Pole, or a Beijing Olympics canoeist wanting to share her experience of competing with family without being censored, or an ultramarathon runner making his way across America, or even the disappointment of the Lisboa-Dakar race driver waiting to start the race only to find it has been cancelled at the last minute, The dynamic of them sharing the experience with their followers in the moment is incredible. It is the premiere example of why SpinVox was developed and how it facilitates communication.
Christina Domecq
If tomorrow were your last day on earth what would you like your friends and loved ones to say about you? What would be on your epitaph?
They would say I lived life to the fullest and gave 100% every day. And my epitaph would probably say "She Clipped in and Climbed on!"
Christina Domecq
Tell me about SpinVox? How did you get the idea? What challenges do you face running this company? What does it take to run a company like SpinVox? What attributes are the most important?
The moment of inspiration came in 2003, when I received 14 voicemails in one morning and asked: "Why can't I get my voicemails as text?". Daniel and I did a lot of research to find out if such a service existed and amazingly it didn't. So we saw an incredible opportunity to create a new market - voice-to-text - now on five continents and more than 125 million users.
Challenges with any new company is capital - raising the first $500,000 for the company was probably the hardest (we've since gone on to raise over $200 million). From there building the team to execute the vision and creating a strong company culture were paramount to getting the growth of the company on the right track. Hiring the right people is the most important attribute for a company and has been the key to making SpinVox such a successful company so quickly.
To keep the company moving forward it takes a commitment to innovation and openness to new ideas. SpinVox employees are our greatest asset - I continue to be amazed at the fresh thinking and ideas my team brings to the table. And it is wonderful to have the company recognized by organizations such as the World Technology Forum as a Technology Pioneer in 2009. SpinVox is a true team effort and I am so proud at what we've accomplished in a relatively short period of time.
Christina Domecq
What advice can you give to other women entrepreneurs?
The most important thing when starting a new business is not to lose sight of what you are trying to achieve. It can often be very tempting to suddenly take your business in new directions if that appears to be an easier option. At SpinVox we often remind ourselves that we do one thing well - convert voice into text - and that drives our direction constantly. And, you should always be able to summarize you business in 30 seconds, otherwise I don't believe you have a business, so that should help focus too What is vital is to use past experiences and trusted advice to help guide you, mentors are invaluable - you should learn from their mistakes and advice to ensure you realize the full potential of your new business.
Christina Domecq
What are your thoughts on having a coach or mentor, yes or no? If yes, how do you choose the best fit? Why do you recommend having a mentor or mentors?
We aren't born with all the answers - we have to go out there and find them. Mentors provide an invaluable sounding board and objective perspective; and I have found it advantageous to have mentors both within and outside of my industry to share ideas, challenge my thinking and discuss all sides of business building.
Like anyone, I'm constantly learning from situations and experiences, and over the years I've found that listening to your trusted senior management team will also ensure that the right decisions are made, which will benefit the business. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one, but as CEO you have to accept that the final decision will always fall on your shoulders.
Christina Domecq
If there is anything else you would like to mention please do...any future projects you would like to talk about?
Looking to the future I am excited at what the next year holds for SpinVox - as the company that Daniel and I started in 2003 continues to grow and expand in ways that no one could have ever anticipated.
And in closing I'd like to impart the importance of balance in one's personal and professional life. As I mentioned earlier I work hard and play hard - both are very important to me. This week for example my company signed the biggest deal in our history - switching on 12 new carriers across Latin America and expanding our service to more than 125 million customers - and that would absolutely be cause for a glass of champagne and a relaxing weekend by the ocean. But that's not me - rather than kick back and relax, I want the next challenge. On June 20 I will be riding with my racing partner Ian Rolls in the 3,000 mile Race Across America to target raising $500,000 for ACCION USA - and I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing to celebrate my company's success!
Angelia Miller is the founder of Diva Maverick Mavens www.divamaverickmavens.com a new bread of feisty, non-conformist adventure loving adrenaline-high entrepreneur. The tag-line is: Empowering Women by Interviewing Empowered Women...Inspiring "You" to Take Action! Casting exceptional dynamic talent for fresh content is the mission of Diva Maverick Mavens. The interview is in the original transcript form with minimal editing to preserve the purity of the content received from Christina Domecq, her staff and Farrell Talbot Consulting.
Website:www.spinvox.com
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