“Our motivation was not to make big revenues,” David Walsh of Netwatch

"That should never be the motivation of a start-up, that should be the result."

Regardless of what kind of business they run, one common theme often discussed by successful entrepreneurs is the ability to stay focused on a goal. While the bottom line is of course hugely important to any business, it can sometimes be counter-intuitive to think of it as the only goal worth focusing on. Every business wants to make money, so it makes sense that this isn't how you'll make your brand stand out. Speaking on Architects of Business, in partnership with EY Entrepreneur of The Year™, Netwatch Co-Founder David Walsh said it will come as a result of staying focused on what matters: being the best. "Our motivation was not to make big revenues or big profits. In my view actually, that should never be the motivation of a start-up, that should be the result. "The result of doing the right things, and doing those things better than anybody else in the world. And that was our motivation," David said.

"My mother in particular was way before her time. She was really big into visualisation."

The apple never falls far from the tree, and he said that many of his beliefs came from his parents. Growing up in a small farm in Kerry, the 2007 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist learned just how important focus, hard work, and a positive outlook are for anyone looking to succeed. "I grew up in Kerry on a family farm. There was eleven of us in a traditional farm cottage and genuinely we thought we were the luckiest people on the planet. And the reason for that was because our mother and our dad drilled into us the importance of positive attitude in life and in terms of trying to achieve something in life you need to have a positive attitude. "My mother in particular was way before her time. She was really big into visualisation. She used to say to us when we were very, very small, irrespective of what you wanted to, just visualise it. Dream about it first and then most importantly take positive action to make it happen," he said. Nothing but the best would be enough to protect thousands of sites across the world, and nothing but believing you're the best would be enough to get you there. Now running a Carlow-based security company with a 98% client retention rate, he certainly did make it happen. Subscribe to The Architects of Business for free on iTunes, SoundCloud or watch every episode on YouTube.