Mark is the Director and Head of Paid Media at One Egg Digital. He has 15 years’ experience specializing in marketing strategy and advanced campaign implementation. He is experienced in growth marketing, building eCommerce brands and guiding start-ups through rapid growth. He also teaches 3 best-selling Udemy courses on these topics and consults for major brands in Australia and Asia.
For more details, visit his website here.
Today, we sit down with Mark to chat about his journey as an entrepreneur!
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Mark: I was looking for work flexibility as well as the ability to control my own destiny! I liked being able to steer my own course and how I work. This led me down a path to run my own business.
Q. How did you get started?
Mark: I started off working for large marketing agencies developing my own knowledge. I then moved on to consulting directly for clients which led me to build my own business. While I was working in an agency, I was up late one night at about 11 pm working on a pitch due the next day. I was close to finishing the pitch when my boss called me and asked me for a bunch of changes which would require another few hours of work.
As I hung up the phone, the radio DJ on the station I was listening to said something I’ll never forget. He said ‘If you are up late, working for someone else, you are doing it wrong…’ It was as if someone was sending me a message! I decided at that point If I was going to work this hard, it should be for myself!
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
Mark: Hiring great people has always been my biggest challenge. I try and create a good work environment but I also demand high output from my staff. I still haven’t completely solved this but we have a number of techniques we use to ensure we hire the best.
Firstly, as the saying goes ‘hire slowly, fire quickly’. It’s important to take the time to hire the right people. We usually do 2 interviews + a test. The test measures real-world tasks that the employee will be doing in their role and it also has a psychometric component to make sure their skills & temperaments align to the role.
Fire quickly means that if the person is clearly not right for the role, something needs to change. Either they are moved to a new position or let go. It’s best for the company and for the employees themselves not to be in a role that is not suited for them. Letting them go is better than dragging it out and forcing something that is not working.
Q. What is the most memorable thing you’ve done since you started your business?
Mark: The most memorable has been the ability to assist other businesses and impact their lives. One example is a client who ran a renovation business and was struggling to make ends meet. We helped them generate over half a million dollars in new business in 3 months. Even though we were made redundant because we did too well, it is still extremely memorable as we were able to change the life of the business owner and get him back on his feet.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
Mark: I am a big fan of Warren Buffet. I’ve read all of his biographies and I would strongly recommend them to anyone who is running a business. The way he thinks about businesses and capital allocation is invaluable to running a successful business. Not to mention his approach to business ethics.
Q. What are your top 3 favorite online apps, tools or resources and what do you love about them?
Mark: Clickup – fantastic product management tool. We love the flexibility it allows us to manage multiple projects for different businesses.
Sellerboard – This is an Amazon inventory management and profitability tool. It’s the tools that allow you to simplify your day that are the best.
Google Data Studio – invaluable for analytics, dashboarding and reporting
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Mark: If I can help others, support their businesses and give people tips to improve their businesses, that would be enough.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Mark: Choosing the right boat is more important than how fast you can paddle (Another gem from Buffett).
To keep up to date with Mark and his journey, connect with him on LinkedIn.
