It is the end of a long week. I have been at the newsXpress conference in Melbourne for the last two and a half days – I’ll blog about some of the presentations over the weekend – working on plans for a new newsagency location I will have a share in, met with six newsagent suppliers on a range of subjects, participated in several key meetings relating to my newsagency software company, put out magazines at Forest Hill Monday and Wednesday, hosted two workshops for newsagents on how to create business turnarounds, released the latest benchmark numbers in a presentation to the newsXpress conference, talked to a ton of newsagents (on the phone, by email and face to face) about a range of issues, met five or six new newsagents and been involved in an excellent discussion about the future of the channel.
I am fortunate to have this variety and while the week has been exhausting, it has been exhilarating and exciting. We have some excellent forward thinking newsagents and suppliers who chase change and innovation, These are our future. These are the people I enjoy talking and working with the most. They are channelling, demanding and exciting. They make weeks like this inspiring.
Mark, what is it that drives you to do so much, not just this week, but year after year?
Tim, that’s a complex question which I will try and answer.
On my first day of work decades ago on the 6am train from Pakenham heading into Melbourne I realised that I was on my own, that what happens is up to me.
That feeling of personal responsibility has not left me.
The other driver is wanting to achieve something.
From a software company perspective, while we have good critical mass, you never know what is around the corner. So, the drive to get bigger and stronger is all about preparing for the future.
From a newsagency perspective, I feel that newsagents have drawn a challenging hand and that I have a capacity to make a difference. Despite frustrations with some aspects of the channel, I see progress and this makes me happy.
Some have asked in the past if its about money. Those close to me know that is not the case. If it were, I would operate very differently.
I enjoy what I do. Sure there are bumps. But overall, It’s fun and personally challenging.
I failed high school. Work since then has been my education.
I am not sure if this answers the question Tim. Thanks for asking.
He’s a cyborg!
A Workaholic?!