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Hey, everyone! In my interview with James Clarke, he talked about how to make good business decisions in 2023!
Let’s get to know James and hear what he had to say!
James Clarke
Just a few months after 9/11, the .com bubble had burst and the capital markets were dry.
Despite this, Clarke managed to found the global media company, Clearlink.
It was quite the journey, though. He started selling pest control in ’94, but had little success.
His friend, Todd Pederson, helped Clarke out by giving him office space and a position at another company.
This was a moment when someone’s kindness really boosted his career, which he is grateful for.
Clarke obviously went on to be successful, and Pederson did as well as he started Vivint, a home security company that IPO’d recently.
James realized that he could take his door-to-door sales skills, and use them to sell products on the internet.
That’s how Clearlink was born, the online retailer company with more than 1,000 employees.
Because of the market, Clearlink only had one major competitor, whom they surpassed quickly.
“We love down markets because there is so much opportunity. You just have to think about how you will take on the challenging economy,”
James Clarke
GoPro
Bridger: Tell me about your GoPro story.
James: At the growth equity firm I started, we invested in a company called Contour, a major competitor to GoPro at the time.
We invested in Contour instead of GoPro because their technology was better and it looked cooler.
I met the Contour CEO and told him that I had established relationships with Walmart and that we could push to sell to them, seeing that Walmart was wanting to get more into technology at the time.
The CEO told me that he didn’t want to sell to Walmart.
Immediately after, GoPro sold to Walmart, boomed in sales, and IPO’d a few years later.
“It was a great lesson to me about execution. It’s better to act quickly and make a mistake, then to be too slow to making the right choice.”
Work From Home?
James went on to say that getting more people to work in office this past year has been eye-opening.
“I think workplace flexibility is here to stay, but our company does much better in person.
Business is a contact sport, and there is something magical about meeting co-workers face to face and building meaningful relationships.”
Bridger: Is there a good platform to follow you or learn more about you?
James: I can do better on my social media presence, but LinkedIn is best for me. But for the record, I do prefer meeting people and building relationships face to face.
Conclusion
So, we talked about how to make good business decisions in an indirect way, but here are my takeaways:
- build your network and make decisions with them
- act immediately on opportunities
- strengthen relationships face to face
I didn’t get to cover all that was said, so click here to see the rest of the interview!
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That’s it for today!
Thanks,
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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not to be taken as tax, financial, or legal advice. You should always consult a legal professional before taking action. Furthermore, this is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. The content is solely just the opinion of the authors.
