How to succeed in business

  • by Paulyne Antoniou 

Interview with...

Marcus Markou
Age:
39
CV:
Writer, actor, director, dotcom entrepreneur
Business name:
Dynamis Plc
Goods/services:
Online Media Group
Location:
Shoreditch, London
Trading for:
12 years

Marcus Markou on generating a business idea...

"I think the best businesses arise from a need that's not being met. That's why you get entrepreneurial businesses that are inventing new products or services that fill a gap or a need.

"You don't have to reinvent the wheel to get into business; you can just do something that exists, but do it well."

On the ingredients necessary to be a success in business...

"You need money. You either need to raise it or grow your business in a way that allows you to use the cash flow to grow. It's a really difficult balancing act.

"You need the right people. It takes one bad apple to spoil the barrel. So you need positive people w ith an honest approach to their work.

I believe in as few barriers between managers and staff as possible. I believe in the family work ethic and that you should be having fun at work."

Out of the ashes of a failed magazine we created a successful website

On failing successfully...

"Failure is good. No one likes it. I've had my own personal taste of it. Sadly, it's an essential ingredient of success.

"We were a magazine that essentially failed - let's be honest, it didn't succeed. But we were able, out of the ashes of the magazine, to create a successful website [BusinessesForSale.com, which features websites for sale].

So get into business, be prepared to fail and enjoy every minute - because you will be a success at some point."