In this episode, Jeannette talks to Mark Wright who went from arriving in the UK with only £172 in his pocket to winning The Apprentice, in 2014. He applied for the show because he was desperate to secure finance for a business idea. Several banks had already turned him down. It worked! Lord Sugar initially invested £250k before becoming a 50% shareholder as well as Mark´s business partner and mentor. He has sold that business, Climb Online, to XSNA for 7 figures, money that Mark plans to invest in other businesses. Mark and his fiancée are awaiting the arrival of their first baby and are getting married at the end of 2023. 
During this podcast, Mark shares some fascinating insights into what it is like to be a contestant on The Apprentice and have Lord Sugar as a mentor and business partner. He explains how travel helped to prepare him for The Apprentice and life as an entrepreneur. Mark shares some key pieces of advice that anyone can use to become successful.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• It does not matter where you start - you can achieve considerable success. Mark arrived in the UK as a backpacker with only £172 in his pocket.
• When things are not going well, remember that nothing lasts forever, you always come out the other side and enjoy better times.
• Travel pushes you to try new things, learn from others and become more adaptable. It is a fantastic way to transform yourself.
• CoVid has pushed businesses to go online. Helping Climb Online to make a profit in the first year and become self-funded in under 6 years.
• When it comes to funding, be incredibly careful about whom you partner with and how much equity/control you give away.
• Don’t make the mistake of pushing your body too far. You need to look after yourself physically to stay productive.
• Consistency is the key to success.
• The key to high performance is self-esteem. When you believe in yourself you can achieve anything.
• You need to have a thick skin to be in business. To go all the way, you have got to be tough and not afraid to tell it like it is.

BEST MOMENTS
‘Lord Sugar is scary on TV, and he is 10 times scarier in real life... he is a tough, tough guy.’
‘Make sure you take on the right levels of money and the right levels of people and advice into your business because if you let too many cooks in the kitchen, you'll end up breaking the business’
‘I don't think there's ever been a better time to be an entrepreneur and start a business

This is the perfect time to get focused on what YOU want to really achieve in your business, career, and life. It’s never too late to be BRAVE and BOLD and unlock your inner BRILLIANCE. If you’d like to jump on a free mentoring session just DM Jeannette at info@jeannettelinfootassociates.com or sign up via Jeannette’s linktree https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970

EPISODE RESOURCES
- www.climb-online.co.uk

ABOUT THE GUEST
Mark Wright is an award-winning, influential entrepreneur and self-taught digital marketing specialist, renowned for his success in winning BBC’s The Apprentice. 
In securing the winner’s title, Mark went on to found and develop one of the UK’s fastest-growing digital marketing agencies, Climb Online, in partnership with Lord Sugar. 
As the most successful business to have been founded by an Apprentice winner to date, Climb Online is renowned for its disruptive approach to digital marketing, working with household brands to scale growth and generate profit. 
Mark’s experience in building and creating a multi-million-pound turnover digital empire has led him to source and invest in additional businesses within the property investment, web development, public relations and hair and beauty sectors, where he has dedicated his time to implementing strategies that have replicated admirable levels of success. 
Aged just 31, Mark’s proven skill and capability in business has earned him credentials as an ambitious influencer on lead generation, profitability, and growth, where his journey to success has inspired Entrepreneurs globally, who regularly attend his public speaking engagements and motivational talks both across the UK and overseas. 
In January 2017, Mark secured a prime spot on the Forbes 30 under 30 list [Europe], for his continuous impact on and dedication to the business sector and has since won a host of business accolades including Entrepreneur’s Team of the Year at the 2018 Great British Entrepreneur Awards and Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2018 UK Business Awards. 
In June 2019 Wright launched his very own UK business conference, CLIMBCON, which welcomed hundreds of Business Owners and aspiring Entrepreneurs to learn from proven business leaders.
For more details, visit: www.climb-online.co.uk 

ABOUT THE HOST

Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 25 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development.
Jeannette is a down-to-earth leader, a passionate champion for diversity & inclusion, and a huge advocate of nurturing talent so every person can unleash their full potential and live their dreams. 

CONTACT THE HOST

Jeannette’s linktree - https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot

https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/

YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsU57ZGoPhm55_X0qF16_Q

LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot

Facebook - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/

Email - info@jeannettelinfootassociates.com

Podcast Description

Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences of being Brave, Bold & Brilliant, which have allowed them to unleash their full potential in business, their careers, and life in general. From the boardroom tables of ‘big’ international businesses to the dining room tables of entrepreneurial start-ups, how to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities and take risks, whilst staying ‘true’ to yourself is the order of the day.