How I Turn Market Crashes & Industry Shifts Into Growth Opportunities - Nick Durrant, Bluegrass

In this episode, I sit down with Nick Durrant, founder and CEO of Bluegrass Digital—a Cape Town-based software development firm that started in London 23 years ago. With two decades of entrepreneurial experience, Nick has navigated market shifts, economic crises, and industry disruptions while growing and scaling his businesses.We dive into:- How his side project became one of South Africa’s top 5 publications- Adapting to major economic crises like 2008, COVID, and now AI- Evolving sales models and forging strategic channel partnerships- Lessons from decades of resilience, reinvention, and growthIf you want to learn how to adapt, pivot, and scale in an ever-changing world, this episode is a must-listen.

----

This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

----

To support The Founder Files:

🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE

⭐ Leave a review right here

💭 Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and tag Cameron Coutts

----

00:00 Introduction

03:14 What is Bluegrass Digital?

10:36 The Scale of Bluegrass Digital

15:41 Nick’s Other Businesses

18:03 Navigating a Declining Market

35:16 How Did The Business Model Change When Moving to Digital?

41:40 From A Dying Market to Top 5 Publications in South Africa

44:30 The Founding Story of Bluegrass Digital

54:02 Pros and Cons of A Partner Channel Model

01:01:37 Omni-channel Approach To Generating New Leads

01:09:16 How Nick Successfully Navigated The Credit Crisis of 2008

01:20:19 How The World Has Become So Disruptive From A Macro Perspective

01:22:45 The Impact Covid Had on The Business and How Nick Adapted to That?

01:25:20 The Impact of AI Business

01:29:31 The Future of Bluegrass Digital

01:31:50 Advice to Other Entrepreneurs