I never stood at the beginning of my
journey thinking I’m gonna be an
entrepreneur I started beginning my
journey thinking I actually can’t work
for anybody I hear a lot said about
passion passion is absolutely brilliant
but being passionate too early can be a
very very dangerous thing you know I
think the the down–so as important in
life as the ups and it’s but it’s how
you handle those downs
she’s an English businesswoman who ran a
multi-million dollar family holiday
business
she’s now best known for her appearances
on BBC’s Dragons Den she has an
estimated net worth of 40 million pounds
she’s Deborah Medan and here is my take
on her top 10 rules for success rule
number 9 is my personal favorite and
make sure to stick around all the way to
the end for some special bonus clips and
as always if Deborah says something that
really inspires you please leave it in
the comments below and put quotes around
it so other people can be inspired as
well
I never can I never stood at the
beginning of my journey thinking I’m
gonna be an entrepreneur I start the
beginning my journey thinking I actually
can’t work for anybody
so my own really choice my only real
choice was to actually set up in
business on my own and then I learnt
through my business experience that
actually I enjoyed I enjoyed the moments
of yes we did it
and I actually oddly enjoyed the really
difficult moments where you think oh
what have I done what have I done
because what entrepreneurs do do is that
they don’t see barriers they do see
round them it’s amazing the amount of
entrepreneurs that I know that it is
dyslexic and I believe that’s because
they’ve always had to think around
things they’ve had to find a different
way to do things and that is something
an entrepreneur does one of the things I
was asked to talk about today is some of
the barriers that I’ve come across you
know I don’t think I have and I’d
obviously have but it’s kind of part of
life it’s what you do as an entrepreneur
you get a problem you look at it and you
talk to people and you walk round a bit
and you think up that’s how we can solve
that and then you move on you don’t
stand there for hours thinking all isn’t
that difficult and didn’t we do well you
just get on with it and for me that is a
really really important part of when
you’re running a business you know it
can get we all know it can get really
really tough do you think that people
should go for something that they feel
comfortable with definitely I think in
business it’s really important well I
think to be good it’s to be good at
something you have to enjoy it you have
to love it
but the truth is I’m sure there’s many
things that I mean I didn’t know I was
going to enjoy dancing I didn’t discover
that till I was 55 so there’s many
things in life that you can enjoy but if
you do find something then that that
sets you on set you on your way it’s
actually in good stead if you actually
like the thing you’re doing don’t fool
yourself be absolutely honest and clear
over your idea is it a good idea is it a
bad idea why am i doing it what is my
motivation this is apps this is
essential every walk in life it’s
absolute
be crucial for entrepreneurs I can
remember times in my business life where
I’ve actually done things because I
wanted to do them I had to convince
myself that it was a brilliant idea
simply because I wanted to do it and
there’s a world of difference between
actually taking a cool critical look at
what it is you’re about to do and then
getting passionate I hear a lot said
about passion passion is absolutely
brilliant but being passionate too early
can be a very very dangerous thing I’m
going to say something else about
business and I think it’s the most
important thing that I have learnt I
before you start your business or in
your early days think about why you’re
doing it everybody in this room will
have a different reason and if it is
just to make money you’re a business
person if it’s because of something else
if it’s because of a passion this fits
because you’ve seen something you really
really want to do and you’ve got a
burning desire to do it that tips you
into being an entrepreneur because being
in business is more oh no I’m going to
put this a different way business is
about creating the thing for you that
you want out of your life and it’s that
old adage of am i working to live or am
i living to work and business is your
tool to create that life the trouble is
as we get into business as business gets
bigger and as it grows we can forget
that we can forget the reason we started
in the first place and we can get
completely overcome with all of the
issues and the problems that we have so
before you start or at the very early
stages of your journeys think to
yourselves why am I doing this what is
my motivation and write yourself a
letter because in those tough and hard
times when we’ve all had them we’ve all
think I cannot believe I’ve got myself
into it that is the letter you need to
get out and you need to remember
and also you need to remember in the
times when your customers are looking at
you in a very confused way saying I
don’t recognize you anymore you’re not
what you told me you were you need to
get that letter out again and you need
to see the promises you’ve made to
yourself and you need to see the
promises you’ve made to your letter it
wouldn’t matter your letter to your
customers you had your downs as well as
very substantial ups didn’t you well you
know I think the the down so as
important in life as the UPS and it’s
but it’s how you handle those downs you
know the Dan’s never stopped me the
Dan’s made me think mmm
didn’t like that failing I really don’t
like that feeling what do I learn from
it and therefore what do I go on and do
differently rather than it knocking you
out it inspired you to have another go
did it absolutely you know what lis I I
think the disliking the Dan’s out waived
the enjoying the high so I kind of focus
more on I don’t want to do that I get
what I get it right
another critical point is research it is
so important to understand as much as
you can about the market you’re about to
enter if you’re going to minimize risk
yes being an entrepreneur is about
taking risks you can minimize that risk
by fully understanding what you are
about to do that involves market briefs
you know understanding your customer
knowing what the markets all about where
I’m gonna get the products from it’s all
the research that you should identify
very very early on what do I need to
know in addition to that you also need
to know the numbers that you need to
know so it’s no good just guessing well
you know there’s probably a few million
people out there will probably buy the
product make sure you’re very specific
you come over come up with a list the
key information need to find out go and
find out and don’t make your decision to
enter that market until you’ve got all
of that information I like the line I
think this is great that I don’t wait
I’m not always nice but I’m always fair
yeah I mean I get I you know I could be
quite tough and I know that but to be
honest I could go for the populist vote
I know what people will want me to say I
know that I know the nice thing to say
but actually I think it’s quite unkind
to lead people to believe that they
should carry on with something that
actually is going to fail so I think I’m
doing my job and I think I’m doing the
right thing by saying don’t
that overall that very thumbnail sketch
of very interesting and very inspiring
life what what do you think you’ve
learned most I mean what what what what
would you do differently in other words
do you know I wouldn’t do anything
differently because I think getting
things wrong is is weaved as we’ve just
talked about getting things wrong as is
important as getting things right so I
wouldn’t change anything because
actually I have learnt a lot and the
thing that I’ve learnt is I know what I
value in life I know what’s important to
me I know what I want to spend my time
doing I know the difference is that I
want to make and more important I
absolutely know what I don’t want to do
I mean role models are really really
important I could name you a lot of
people that I meet every day and some of
them are people I’m invested in some of
the people I’ve worked alongside with
you wouldn’t know any of them
because when I walk through life nobody
I what I’ve realized is nobody has it
all and when we look at role models we
tend to think that’s it
that’s the person I want to be trust me
however many times Evan says I’m the
expert in everything I’m not nobody has
it all
but what I do realize that people in
life that I meet do something
extraordinary and I think that was
brilliant that was fantastic
and I pick up that information I put it
in my toolbox and when I need it I’ll
remember I’ll go back to them and I
think that was brilliant
so my role models don’t have names they
have moments and experiences and there
are people who I could just roll off
when you think as you’re talking about
and that’s my tip to you don’t look for
that in one person that you can say that
so I want to be look across the range
and think that’s the moment that’s the
person that’s the person I want I
remember that I remember how they dealt
with that
who looks for intimidating in the day as
it takes about probably do sadly who is
more likely to team up another dragon
investment is the student neither in
either pattern
I think that’s bad you go neither I
wouldn’t say either of us a stinky just
we just very generous big-hearted people
purposes
who’s IRA investments other Dennis
started whatever more questions he
fought like this
who is more likely to get their
investment chosen against Duncan
Bannatyne oh I like both
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because I meet Aurora
asked me to so if there’s a famous
entrepreneur that you want me to profile
next leave it down the comments below
and I’ll see what I can do I’d also love
to know which of the clips meant the
most to you what a Debora say that
really left its mark on you leaving the
comments I’m gonna join in the
discussion filing what to give a quick
shout-out to Torsten Kern I hope I
pronounced that okay Torsten thank you
so much you’re picking up a copy of my
book it really really really means a lot
to me so thank you guys again for
watching I believe in you I hope you
continue to believe in yourselves and
whatever your one word is much love I’ll
see you soon
my career as my business love of my life
really
the the last my worked in a business as
West our holidays and West our holidays
by the time I sold it we were providing
about two hundred thousand holidays a
year and I loved that business i
absolutely lived ate and breathed it and
actually I almost would feel this would
have felt disloyal to go on and run
another business I really loved it
I was asked to talk about IP today and I
thought well actually in West our in the
traditional terms you wouldn’t
necessarily have considered the IP of
that business but of course his IP and
everything you do everybody thinks of my
peers is it Pat you’ve seen me on
Dragons Den you know I have to look at
the patterns I can’t help myself
you know is its patents trademarks all
of those things but actually IP is much
more that more than that and protection
of that IP is much more than that
there is the legal protection you know
is this important to protect it is it
protectable does it actually matter
that’s the legal side of it but there is
also the brand protection the thing that
Cobra B has done so brilliantly you know
they they’ve made this wonderful thing
and they were I would give my hunt I
just know they would protect that to the
ends of the earth you know what does
Cobra beer mean nobody is gonna take
that away from them so so that whole
thing it’s not just about legal
protection what really matters to this
business why do the customers really
like me and I’m not going to move away
from that because then I know that’s
what my customers want and as businesses
get bigger we can sometimes lose that we
can sometimes forget what it is that our
customers want and we kind of think oh
should we try a new or we’ve done that
let’s try something else and before you
know it you’re doing something
completely different all new customers
are looking at you and kind of didn’t
weren’t you the people who promised me
that and you’re over here somewhere you
know so that is that the whole
protection of what you are and who you
are is really really for me very very
important important to be able to stay
cool under pressure now this this
obviously is when you enter the den
that’s very important because you’ve got
to get your message across but that is
so in business life because
if you can’t stand up to the pressure in
the den trust me you are not going to be
able to stand up to the pressures that
actually happen out there in real
business life so remember to do whatever
it is that you’ve got to do to prepare
yourself to make sure that you do not
crumble under pressure what are your
favorite rules do you have any favorite
rules the one that I do keep banging on
about is I hear so often people saying
keep in touch with your customer you
know the customers king or the customer
is really important and then they
completely ignore them just to be so
obvious what your customer respond to
your customer you know and they they’re
changing all the time I’m a different
person today than I was last well
journey thinking I’m gonna be an
entrepreneur I started beginning my
journey thinking I actually can’t work
for anybody I hear a lot said about
passion passion is absolutely brilliant
but being passionate too early can be a
very very dangerous thing you know I
think the the down–so as important in
life as the ups and it’s but it’s how
you handle those downs
she’s an English businesswoman who ran a
multi-million dollar family holiday
business
she’s now best known for her appearances
on BBC’s Dragons Den she has an
estimated net worth of 40 million pounds
she’s Deborah Medan and here is my take
on her top 10 rules for success rule
number 9 is my personal favorite and
make sure to stick around all the way to
the end for some special bonus clips and
as always if Deborah says something that
really inspires you please leave it in
the comments below and put quotes around
it so other people can be inspired as
well
I never can I never stood at the
beginning of my journey thinking I’m
gonna be an entrepreneur I start the
beginning my journey thinking I actually
can’t work for anybody
so my own really choice my only real
choice was to actually set up in
business on my own and then I learnt
through my business experience that
actually I enjoyed I enjoyed the moments
of yes we did it
and I actually oddly enjoyed the really
difficult moments where you think oh
what have I done what have I done
because what entrepreneurs do do is that
they don’t see barriers they do see
round them it’s amazing the amount of
entrepreneurs that I know that it is
dyslexic and I believe that’s because
they’ve always had to think around
things they’ve had to find a different
way to do things and that is something
an entrepreneur does one of the things I
was asked to talk about today is some of
the barriers that I’ve come across you
know I don’t think I have and I’d
obviously have but it’s kind of part of
life it’s what you do as an entrepreneur
you get a problem you look at it and you
talk to people and you walk round a bit
and you think up that’s how we can solve
that and then you move on you don’t
stand there for hours thinking all isn’t
that difficult and didn’t we do well you
just get on with it and for me that is a
really really important part of when
you’re running a business you know it
can get we all know it can get really
really tough do you think that people
should go for something that they feel
comfortable with definitely I think in
business it’s really important well I
think to be good it’s to be good at
something you have to enjoy it you have
to love it
but the truth is I’m sure there’s many
things that I mean I didn’t know I was
going to enjoy dancing I didn’t discover
that till I was 55 so there’s many
things in life that you can enjoy but if
you do find something then that that
sets you on set you on your way it’s
actually in good stead if you actually
like the thing you’re doing don’t fool
yourself be absolutely honest and clear
over your idea is it a good idea is it a
bad idea why am i doing it what is my
motivation this is apps this is
essential every walk in life it’s
absolute
be crucial for entrepreneurs I can
remember times in my business life where
I’ve actually done things because I
wanted to do them I had to convince
myself that it was a brilliant idea
simply because I wanted to do it and
there’s a world of difference between
actually taking a cool critical look at
what it is you’re about to do and then
getting passionate I hear a lot said
about passion passion is absolutely
brilliant but being passionate too early
can be a very very dangerous thing I’m
going to say something else about
business and I think it’s the most
important thing that I have learnt I
before you start your business or in
your early days think about why you’re
doing it everybody in this room will
have a different reason and if it is
just to make money you’re a business
person if it’s because of something else
if it’s because of a passion this fits
because you’ve seen something you really
really want to do and you’ve got a
burning desire to do it that tips you
into being an entrepreneur because being
in business is more oh no I’m going to
put this a different way business is
about creating the thing for you that
you want out of your life and it’s that
old adage of am i working to live or am
i living to work and business is your
tool to create that life the trouble is
as we get into business as business gets
bigger and as it grows we can forget
that we can forget the reason we started
in the first place and we can get
completely overcome with all of the
issues and the problems that we have so
before you start or at the very early
stages of your journeys think to
yourselves why am I doing this what is
my motivation and write yourself a
letter because in those tough and hard
times when we’ve all had them we’ve all
think I cannot believe I’ve got myself
into it that is the letter you need to
get out and you need to remember
and also you need to remember in the
times when your customers are looking at
you in a very confused way saying I
don’t recognize you anymore you’re not
what you told me you were you need to
get that letter out again and you need
to see the promises you’ve made to
yourself and you need to see the
promises you’ve made to your letter it
wouldn’t matter your letter to your
customers you had your downs as well as
very substantial ups didn’t you well you
know I think the the down so as
important in life as the UPS and it’s
but it’s how you handle those downs you
know the Dan’s never stopped me the
Dan’s made me think mmm
didn’t like that failing I really don’t
like that feeling what do I learn from
it and therefore what do I go on and do
differently rather than it knocking you
out it inspired you to have another go
did it absolutely you know what lis I I
think the disliking the Dan’s out waived
the enjoying the high so I kind of focus
more on I don’t want to do that I get
what I get it right
another critical point is research it is
so important to understand as much as
you can about the market you’re about to
enter if you’re going to minimize risk
yes being an entrepreneur is about
taking risks you can minimize that risk
by fully understanding what you are
about to do that involves market briefs
you know understanding your customer
knowing what the markets all about where
I’m gonna get the products from it’s all
the research that you should identify
very very early on what do I need to
know in addition to that you also need
to know the numbers that you need to
know so it’s no good just guessing well
you know there’s probably a few million
people out there will probably buy the
product make sure you’re very specific
you come over come up with a list the
key information need to find out go and
find out and don’t make your decision to
enter that market until you’ve got all
of that information I like the line I
think this is great that I don’t wait
I’m not always nice but I’m always fair
yeah I mean I get I you know I could be
quite tough and I know that but to be
honest I could go for the populist vote
I know what people will want me to say I
know that I know the nice thing to say
but actually I think it’s quite unkind
to lead people to believe that they
should carry on with something that
actually is going to fail so I think I’m
doing my job and I think I’m doing the
right thing by saying don’t
that overall that very thumbnail sketch
of very interesting and very inspiring
life what what do you think you’ve
learned most I mean what what what what
would you do differently in other words
do you know I wouldn’t do anything
differently because I think getting
things wrong is is weaved as we’ve just
talked about getting things wrong as is
important as getting things right so I
wouldn’t change anything because
actually I have learnt a lot and the
thing that I’ve learnt is I know what I
value in life I know what’s important to
me I know what I want to spend my time
doing I know the difference is that I
want to make and more important I
absolutely know what I don’t want to do
I mean role models are really really
important I could name you a lot of
people that I meet every day and some of
them are people I’m invested in some of
the people I’ve worked alongside with
you wouldn’t know any of them
because when I walk through life nobody
I what I’ve realized is nobody has it
all and when we look at role models we
tend to think that’s it
that’s the person I want to be trust me
however many times Evan says I’m the
expert in everything I’m not nobody has
it all
but what I do realize that people in
life that I meet do something
extraordinary and I think that was
brilliant that was fantastic
and I pick up that information I put it
in my toolbox and when I need it I’ll
remember I’ll go back to them and I
think that was brilliant
so my role models don’t have names they
have moments and experiences and there
are people who I could just roll off
when you think as you’re talking about
and that’s my tip to you don’t look for
that in one person that you can say that
so I want to be look across the range
and think that’s the moment that’s the
person that’s the person I want I
remember that I remember how they dealt
with that
who looks for intimidating in the day as
it takes about probably do sadly who is
more likely to team up another dragon
investment is the student neither in
either pattern
I think that’s bad you go neither I
wouldn’t say either of us a stinky just
we just very generous big-hearted people
purposes
who’s IRA investments other Dennis
started whatever more questions he
fought like this
who is more likely to get their
investment chosen against Duncan
Bannatyne oh I like both
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because I meet Aurora
asked me to so if there’s a famous
entrepreneur that you want me to profile
next leave it down the comments below
and I’ll see what I can do I’d also love
to know which of the clips meant the
most to you what a Debora say that
really left its mark on you leaving the
comments I’m gonna join in the
discussion filing what to give a quick
shout-out to Torsten Kern I hope I
pronounced that okay Torsten thank you
so much you’re picking up a copy of my
book it really really really means a lot
to me so thank you guys again for
watching I believe in you I hope you
continue to believe in yourselves and
whatever your one word is much love I’ll
see you soon
my career as my business love of my life
really
the the last my worked in a business as
West our holidays and West our holidays
by the time I sold it we were providing
about two hundred thousand holidays a
year and I loved that business i
absolutely lived ate and breathed it and
actually I almost would feel this would
have felt disloyal to go on and run
another business I really loved it
I was asked to talk about IP today and I
thought well actually in West our in the
traditional terms you wouldn’t
necessarily have considered the IP of
that business but of course his IP and
everything you do everybody thinks of my
peers is it Pat you’ve seen me on
Dragons Den you know I have to look at
the patterns I can’t help myself
you know is its patents trademarks all
of those things but actually IP is much
more that more than that and protection
of that IP is much more than that
there is the legal protection you know
is this important to protect it is it
protectable does it actually matter
that’s the legal side of it but there is
also the brand protection the thing that
Cobra B has done so brilliantly you know
they they’ve made this wonderful thing
and they were I would give my hunt I
just know they would protect that to the
ends of the earth you know what does
Cobra beer mean nobody is gonna take
that away from them so so that whole
thing it’s not just about legal
protection what really matters to this
business why do the customers really
like me and I’m not going to move away
from that because then I know that’s
what my customers want and as businesses
get bigger we can sometimes lose that we
can sometimes forget what it is that our
customers want and we kind of think oh
should we try a new or we’ve done that
let’s try something else and before you
know it you’re doing something
completely different all new customers
are looking at you and kind of didn’t
weren’t you the people who promised me
that and you’re over here somewhere you
know so that is that the whole
protection of what you are and who you
are is really really for me very very
important important to be able to stay
cool under pressure now this this
obviously is when you enter the den
that’s very important because you’ve got
to get your message across but that is
so in business life because
if you can’t stand up to the pressure in
the den trust me you are not going to be
able to stand up to the pressures that
actually happen out there in real
business life so remember to do whatever
it is that you’ve got to do to prepare
yourself to make sure that you do not
crumble under pressure what are your
favorite rules do you have any favorite
rules the one that I do keep banging on
about is I hear so often people saying
keep in touch with your customer you
know the customers king or the customer
is really important and then they
completely ignore them just to be so
obvious what your customer respond to
your customer you know and they they’re
changing all the time I’m a different
person today than I was last well
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