Buzz Usborne // Software Designer + Startup Advisor
I’m Buzz 👋🏼 I’m a software designer and startup advisor. I spend half of my time doing creative work — working with big brands on UX and UI problems. The other half of my time is spent on my advisory business Your Friend Buzz — where I’m a creative coach and advisor to companies who use design as a differentiator.
Community and Background:
Can you tell us a bit about your journey to the Berry community? How did you end up here and what attracted you to this community?
8 years ago — when our first child was born — we left Sydney and migrated South in search for a slower pace of life and more lifestyle-first environment for our growing family. At the time I had already been working with remote teams for several years, but always from within a co-located office space within a busy city — so when we moved down, I didn’t appreciated how lonely it would be working from my spare room in a remote town — so I started looking for co-working locations. In my attempt to find a quiet space outside of the house, I stumbled across a little community at WorkLife! I remember feeling that it was the addition of likeminded people that I was missing, not just the escape from kids! Back then it was the Kiama office, and I’ve since followed WorkLife down to Berry as we’ve continued our own migration South!
Business and Entrepreneurship:
Tell us about your work. How and when did you decide to start it, and what motivated you to take the plunge into entrepreneurship or remote work?
While living in Sydney I kinda fell into working with US clients — which thrust me into a world of remote work, almost by accident. While it meant incredibly early starts to catch the timezone overlap, I found myself enjoying the early finishes — and in doing so I built up some solid strategies for designing and collaborating across timezones. Then when COVID happened, I found myself really well placed to help companies and individuals who were navigating remote work for the first time. My focus has been in helping teams stay hyper collaborative and creative, even when they’ve never met in person — so my own adventures have almost been an experiment in how far I can push remote work.
What does work-life balance look like for you? How do you manage the demands of work while ensuring time for family and personal life?
I try and measure my value by the impact I can have on the teams I work with, instead of the consecutive business hours I spend at my desk. For me that means that I split my days into smaller chunks that prioritise times where I work most effectively — this gives me the flexibility to do school pickups, swims and catching up with mates. Most days I start before 7am, so I’m always finished by 3pm — which gives me the afternoons with the kids and enough time to forget about work.
In your industry, what recent disruptions or transitions have had the most significant impact on your business?
AI has dominated every conversation for a couple of years now — from the complexity and turbulence of designing and building AI tools, to advising multi-nationals on how to safely and ethically involve AI into their workflows and existing practices. Every day I learn something new, and every week there’s a new advancement that turns everything I knew on its head. It’s been equal-parts exhausting and career defining for me.
But in the process I found that a lot of people were feeling left behind by AI and missing out on some of the day-to-day benefits it presented. So I recently launched a free online course — https://2weeks.ai/ — which I wrote for any age and capability to feel empowered by AI, not terrified by the threat of it. It’s only been live for a couple of weeks and already it’s been used by tens-of-thousands of people worldwide, from plumbers to doctors, students to retirees.
Personal Life:
Outside of work, what are your hobbies and passions? How do you like to spend your time when you’re not focused on business or family?
My wife and I are originally from the UK, and moved to Australia 15 years ago for the adventures and outdoor lifestyle. We love to travel, spend time on the water and explore new places — and now the kids are old enough, that’s how we spend our time. I’ve also recently started training with Rachelle Munro — who I met through a WorkLife event — and have discovered the magic of breathwork, which is something I’m building a newfound passion for.
Are there any books or podcasts you’ve found particularly inspiring or informative recently? Any recommendations for the WorkLife community?
I’m painfully dyslexic, so reading is regretfully a chore I don’t subject myself to all too often. That said, I’ve really enjoyed ‘Unreasonable Hospitality’ by Will Guidara — who was advisor to the incredible TV series ‘The Bear’, and is about the profound value of providing above-and-beyond customer service. ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer and ‘Humankind’ by Rutger Bregman have also been rays of sunshine in a pretty bleak media cycle.
How do you maintain boundaries between work and personal life? Any top tips?
I’ve turned all notifications off on my phone, and literally any app that shows a badge or tries to capture my attention in some form. No work emails, no social media, nothing. I’ve found that no matter how hard I try to avoid the temptation, if I have access to work… it’ll sucks me in. Boundaries is also what I love about going to the WL office — I’ll get dressed, ride my bike in and show up to work with intention. Then when I come home, it feels like I can switch to a different mode.
Home and Lifestyle:
What is your taste like? Do you have a favourite item of furniture or object in your home? Anything that has special significance or tells a story about you?
We’ve moved around a lot and so we’re really mindful not to accumulate much stuff — but the things we do own, we love. My wife and I are both designers, so have found ourselves collecting art — nothing fancy, just pieces that reflect who we are. I recently bought a piece by Alizon Gray which I’m obsessed with.
What do you like/appreciate about the design at WorkLife? Any favourite touches or things that make you feel at home when you are at work?
I love Kate’s dedication to yellow! The space always feel so bright and welcoming when I come to work, and makes me feel somehow more productive and happy even on days when things aren’t going my way!
If you were to showcase the best of the local lifestyle to visiting friends, where would you take them and why?
Maybe a morning hike up to Drawing Room Rocks, then pop into Wax Lyrical bookshop and Ellow Creative in Berry — maybe lunch at the General Store. Then catch some culture and vibes at Bundanon, and maybe afternoon drinks at Bangalay. Our perfect day is clearly non-stop and exhausting!
Productivity and Time Management:
What’s your go-to productivity hack? How do you stay organised and efficient, especially with multiple responsibilities?
I live and die by my email and calendar, and keep my inbox as efficient as possible — I’m ruthless with unsubscribing and avoiding spam. I also use Notion to store my notes, which these days are transcribed by AI (Krisp.ai).
Benefits of WorkLife Membership:
Lastly, what’s been the most valuable aspect of being a member at WorkLife for you and your work?
I think it’s the people and environment — I’ve never had an unproductive day at WorkLife. I credit that to the space being geared towards getting sh*t done, and being surrounded by people who are doing the same!
If you’d like to get in touch with Buzz check out his website here or connect with Buzz on LinkedIn
