EO Melbourne welcomes one of the latest additions to its chapter — Graham McNicol. He is the CEO of MSP Photography and an experienced Project Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the retail industry. Graham is a strong sales professional with a Bachelor of Business focused in Human Resource Management from the Swinburne University of Technology. Let’s get to know Graham better.
Q: Can you give a brief background about you, your family and your business?
I was born and raised in South Africa. My family moved to Australia in 1999 and fell in love with everything that Melbourne has to offer. I met my wife in 2008 and we were blessed with a beautiful daughter in 2016. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of learning all aspects of business and found my skill set suited both operations and people. In 2019, an opportunity became available to establish a new franchise business and in quick succession, I was then offered the opportunity to take over the parent company as CEO of the franchisor. MSP Photography is Australia’s largest school photography service provider, with the franchisor running a large print facility in NSW as well as the franchise business. The dedicated printing facility ensures we deliver high-quality photos in a timely manner for families across Australia to cherish.
Q: What inspired you to be an entrepreneur?
By nature, I love living life on the edge and so, taking risks has always appealed to me. I invested my time learning as much as I could from the corporate world to equip myself with the right tools to venture out on my own. My work ethic is unchanged and my business requires more of my time, however, knowing that what I put in translates to action and growth, motivating me to continue pushing harder.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur?
As an individual, I have always been driven to push boundaries and volunteer for new initiatives. I’ve never been a fan of the red tape that comes with large corporate entities and so, this definitely assisted me in the decision to pursue my own path. I’ve also had the good fortune to grow up alongside a truly exceptional entrepreneur who founded his own company in the tech space and is continuing on a super successful trajectory. His guidance and ambitions definitely motivated me to think outside the square and take risks in pursuing my own goals. It’s important to note that without the unwavering support of my wife, none of what I've achieved would be possible.
Q: What are the biggest challenges you have faced as an entrepreneur?
For me, the biggest challenges are the accumulation of the little things and managing expectations. MSP Photography is a people-driven business, and without our team, we wouldn’t be able to achieve our goals.
Q: Why did you decide to join EO?
EO is an amazing avenue for personal development and networking with like-minded people. As a CEO, our challenges and stressors can appear overwhelming, whilst the victories and accomplishments are often too few. I hope the connections made within my EO networks will help us all face both our challenges and victories with a little less uncertainty and a lot more clarity.
Q: Can you share a golden nugget that you learned from another entrepreneur or mentor in the past?
Continue to find the opportunities and surround yourself with people that will challenge you. Not every idea will work, and not every pitch will be brilliant, but without an open mind and willingness to pursue – nothing can be achieved.