Brian Marcel is a pioneer of barcodes and the first to start joint ventures in the former Eastern Bloc after the fall of Communism. His book Raise the Bar Change the Game acts a primer to help budding entrepreneurs change the game as he did.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
When business started difficulties overcame:
“I needed a kick in the pants really to start my business. So it was more from that point of view. I always wanted to have my own business but I never knew what to have it in. I made the mistake of trying to think up an idea that would change the world just like that. I didn’t invent the barcode obviously but at least I saw that opportunity. I kind of fell into that, connected the dots and started the business”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t Book by Jim Collins
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change Book by Stephen R Covey
- CEO Tools 2.0: A System to Think, Manage, and Lead Like a CEO Book by Jim Canfield and Kraig Kramers
- It’s Not About The Bike: My Journey Back to Life Book by Lance Armstrong
Favourite Quote:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin
Recommended Online Resources:
- LinkedIn – is a business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Founded on December 28, 2002, and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs.
- Google – Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware.
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“Well all these things I have mentioned really. Self belief, being positive, eliminate naysayers, not to get stuck with finding original ideas, perseverance, all of those good things. And just start the business, try not to look for excuses not to do it because you will love it. Because if you are looking to start a business you obviously hate being managed by anybody or reporting to anybody. You are if free spirit, a loner so go and spread your wings, fulfil your dreams. And what difference does it make if you fail. You know the number of times I have failed… Just pick yourself up, start again. You are so young – go for it.” (4 Lines minimum – if less then need more quotes) …[Listen for More]
More About Brian Marcel:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.” G. K. Chesterton
Other Quotes From the Chat with Brian Marcel:
- “you must follow opportunities. Opportunities don’t come up very often and you have just got to get on board an opportunity the moment it comes. Even if it is the wrong opportunity because what difference does it make if you fail? It’s quite a good thing to do because you just pick yourself up, start again and learn, and you won’t make the same mistake again”
- “you’ve got to be a risk taker. You are going to be risking probably your own money, you might be risking other people’s, I don’t know it depends upon whether you have investors or not, but you are going to be risking your money. But even once you start you are going to continue to be risking your money because cash flow as I say is crucial – you have got to keep an ion that cash. So if you are not a risk-taking you won’t make decisions, you will make the big decisions that get you to the next level, and you won’t have the big ideas to take you to the next level either because you will find excuses not to do things…”
- “You have got to have a vision to start with obviously – you have got to be able to visualise success”
- “if you are in a fluctuating marketplace with really clever people you have got to change your business plan regularly. I change my business plan probably every year, sometimes more often, depending”
- “start with the end in mind”
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