Late one night in 2011 Tim Norton sits in a mediation meeting.
He is almost a million dollars in debt.
"I'd set up a co-working space and had 32 staff," says Norton. "But I didn't have the capital to finish the job. I ran out of money and the landlord demanded I pay up."
Norton walked out of the meeting 750 grand in the red.
Like many tech entrepreneurs, Norton has tried his hand at a host of internet businesses. Among these was a web design company and an online personal finance tool with Kiwi Bank.
At one stage he ran five companies simultaneously.
But after that fateful mediation meeting, Norton decided to forego chasing shiny objects to concentrate on one project and pay the people he owed money to.
"People can sense when you've gone down and they get very frightened. They want their money quickly," he notes. "And if you don't pay them quickly they get even more frightened."
"The pressure mounts and you try your best to get out of it. I had friends in that business. We were like a family. It's a very tough situation. Some days it would leave me in tears."
Five years later they would be tears of joy.
In April of this year, Norton paid off the last of his debt thanks to an $11 million investment from Sequoia, an American venture capital firm which typically focuses on the tech industry.
"I'd never seen that kind of money," says Norton. "It was a big hit for the company. The first people to get their money back was my family. It was huge, just huge."
As his company name suggests, every minute is vital for Tim Norton. The cloud video production service he started in 2010 has 91 full-time staff in seven countries. They are based in Auckland, with offices in Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo, London, and are now setting up shop in San Francisco.
Last month they turned over $1.9 million. They hire a new staff member every four days.
The beginnings of Norton's most successful venture are a lesson in how to attract clients and get a name. For the first four months he and a team of three hit the streets with a camera and microphone, producing hundreds of free videos. They interviewed government ministers, entrepreneurs, anyone.
Those first videos produced no profit, but in this business content is king. Since then they have produced over 12,000 videos for over a thousand brands.
What then, was different about 90 Seconds compared to Norton's other start-ups?
"I didn't know this was the one," Norton admits. "I've had bigger ideas than 90 Seconds, but with this business I did something I never did when I ran businesses in my 20s: I focused."
"From the beginning I had a feeling this was going to work because I liked it myself. I hadn't watched TV or movies for years. Video was going to be huge."
Walk through 90 Second's offices at Auckland's 'Grid' and you'll find computer screens showing what is typically top secret information: the company's profits and client spend.
Norton: "I want everyone to see what's going on as it happens. These numbers are live across our business in seven countries. Reality drives us."
While many Kiwi business owners lament over the nation's distance from larger trading partners, those like Norton jump on a plane. Life is an adventure. San Fransisco one minute, Japan the next.
It's a long way from the sharemilking life Norton grew up with in Matamata.
"When the odds are against you, your mind doesn't let you know you're eventually going to win. I believe in persistence. Stick at something. Have belief this is the journey to success."
He's also happy to spill the beans on how to embed seamlessly into an overseas market.
Norton: "Get local teams. Partner with local people. Then you are local. This has worked well in the UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia."
With almost 7000 creators in 92 countries, 90 Seconds is set to soar, but Norton knows too well the competitive nature of his adopted industry.
"If you've got a team in New Zealand, you're competing globally. For this reason, I'm really tough on the company. I challenge people. For some it's too much - and that's okay. But a large majority rise to the challenge."
"If we're successful, it's going to be incredibly rewarding. And if it takes a while to succeed, don't worry, because it took me a long time to get here. Don't be afraid of the journey."
"Come with me to the edge."
Every business owner has a defining moment, a point where they have a make or break decision. Us kiwis love a good success story, and we want to hear all about yours. Share your brave business journey with us and you could land yourself an exclusive Spark Lab VIP experience.
Spark will look after flights to Auckland, accommodation, dinner at Seafarers and tickets for a premium Spark Lab business event with the opportunity to network with the speaker. They will also include a one-on-one business mentoring session with an Icehouse coach worth $380.
To enter, simply tell us about your brave business story and what helped you along the way. Share your story here http://spark.co.nz/sparklabvip