Clarke Allen dreamed of having his own business in his hometown of Charlotte. He had no idea that his company would become one of the most sought after event design and production companies in the Southeast. His entrepreneurial spirit led to him founding a series of businesses over the last 21 years. In 2013, Clarke pulled all his companies together under the flagship Clarke Allen®, an award winning, multi-million dollar company producing over 250 programs each year. His impressive reputation has attracted clients such as the Carolina Panthers, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Samaritan’s Feet International, Preston Bailey, David Tutera, Will Ferrell, the Steve Smith Family Foundation, the late Dr. Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
Clarke’s father
When business started difficulties overcame:
“I really didn’t. What i mean by that is I was very clear in what I wanted to do; I had watched companies like mine navigate the industry for about 9 years. I had the opportunity to interview owners of firms like mine, and they were very gracious with information, as long as I didn’t open a business in their city. I spent about a year flying back and forth doing my feasibility study, my business plan, meeting with people, asking questions. Because what I do wasn’t really here in Charlotte at the time to the degree we were doing it, we hit at the right time, so I didn’t really have anything that slowed me down, we were very fortunate, we were a million in the first year, two in the second, three in the third, and we had meteoric success in those first few years”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
The Master Key System Book by Charles F. Haanel
Also mentioned:
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom Book by Don Miguel RuizThe E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It Book by Michael E. Gerber
The Inevitable Box: a quest for significance Book by Clarke Allen
Favourite Quote:
“When you learn, teach, and when you get, give” Maya Angelou
Recommended Online Resources:
Clarke Allen : is a team of event designers with a passion to tell peoples story through experiential events! We thrive to create innovate and inspire. Our goal is to …
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“Dare greatly, just do it, I hear so many people say I’m going to be an entrepreneur. Just do it, there’s no time like the present, there’s no perfect time. I think if an entrepreneur will just take small steps, even if it’s in their basement, as I said, go shadow, watch other entrepreneurs in the industry you’re interested in. I would say, put yourself in the arena, and dare greatly”…[Listen for More]
More About Clarke Allen:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
Olivia Wilde “As you get older, you start to really ask questions like, ‘Is this the road I should be walking down?,’ because every decision seems more final, as you get older.”
Other Quotes From the Chat with Clarke Allen:
- “I compel my staff and my team to look at all elements of an experience”
- “The whole thing for me as an entrepreneur is balance”
- “The problem with the entrepreneur is we believe we have to do it all”
- “I wish I had written my job description 15 years earlier”
- “We used to strive for perfection we now strive for excellence”
- “It was my quest for significance that made it all about me. And it wasn’t until I realised it wasn’t all about me, and maybe it was more of a quest for relevance, mattering in my industry, taking my god given talent and giving it away. Giving it away and helping others, and in that I think is where true success is found”
- “I took a job as a publisher for their meeting planner’s guide, so I would go around the city meeting people to wanted to advertise in this guide for people coming to town, and then I would actually go and set my offices up at night. At nights I would go to the copy room and go through the trash and find leads that they had of groups coming to town, and that was how I build my original files and contacts”
- “If you’re trying to create a business then I think you need to define what it is you want out of it, both professionally and personally, and write it down and share it. So that others that come alone may participate in your vision but also know where and how to support you”
- “We’re constantly sharing, constantly asking, interviewing others and taking best practices from other industries, is another way of staying new not just looking in your own industry, but looking at others and how they’re dealing with same thing”
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