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Mark Has The Best Leadership and Business Skills


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Old 10-12-2014, 22:34
Diabolus
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He's the sort of devious manipulative liar who is only appreciated by others of a similar ilk.
I can understand why some people may not like or trust him but there is of course no substance whatsoever to the above claim.
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Old 10-12-2014, 22:34
Rogana Josh
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He's the sort of devious manipulative liar who is only appreciated by others of a similar ilk.
Don't hold back! I think he's a w*nker.
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Old 11-12-2014, 00:00
Dission
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I was surprised to see him crumble today. I defintely did not see that coming.

He is a good salesman, particularly face to face one on one where he can charm people and engage. But I agree that there is a big leap between that and leadership and strategic skills. That is yet to be seen but it will depend on his business plan. If he knows his thing, he can be good.

Will be nice to see him deal with the interviews. Clash of alpha males Ricky vs Mak r
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Old 11-12-2014, 00:02
slouchingthatch
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I was surprised to see him crumble today. I defintely did not see that coming.

He is a good salesman, particularly face to face one on one where he can charm people and engage. But I agree that there is a big leap between that and leadership and strategic skills. That is yet to be seen but it will depend on his business plan. If he knows his thing, he can be good.

Will be nice to see him deal with the interviews. Clash of alpha males Ricky vs Mak r
From what little we heard, I have reservations about his business plan - it's a very competitive space - and in particular his profit projections. £1m in year 1? Very, very, VERY unlikely.

Agree about his leadership/strategic skills. I think he's actually OK as a people manager (less so as a teammate), but I've yet to see any real vision or creativity from him.

I was impressed by the way he held his hands up in the boardroom and admitted he'd cocked up. No way Daniel or James, for instance, would ever have done that.
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Old 11-12-2014, 00:04
Alrightmate
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Is there evidence of his leadership and business skills?
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Old 11-12-2014, 00:08
wonkeydonkey
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I was surprised to see him crumble today. I defintely did not see that coming.
I bet he would pay very good money to have had that pulled. I had been thinking he was an arrogant tit, but he looked terrified, and then terrified all over again in the board room. I don't think I have ever seen a man sweat so much while just sitting in a temperate room.
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Old 11-12-2014, 01:00
Dix
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I wouldn't work with him or for him neither would I have him in my management team.
If you couldn't see the pressure on him today you must be blind and deaf

He's an ridiculously optimistic desperate ego maniac and he will most likely end up a felon.
He already behaves like a felon, all his dealings show this.
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Old 11-12-2014, 01:08
Tourista
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Wow, did the "Lion" of the process become a pussycat or what?....

Whether or not he had a sore throat, he just corpsed big time.

As for his business plan, well lets see how the interviews go when the experts will let rip.
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Old 11-12-2014, 01:08
SIOPHIE_FIERCE
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I bet he would pay very good money to have had that pulled. I had been thinking he was an arrogant tit, but he looked terrified, and then terrified all over again in the board room. I don't think I have ever seen a man sweat so much while just sitting in a temperate room.
Did you see how panicked he was when Lord Sugar asked Sanjay why Mark had never been brought back to the boardroom? Sanjay was probably about to say because he's very good at manipulating people and then Mark jumped in and said "Why are you piping up?" and Sanjay never got to finish answering the question. Don't like the guy at all and didn't feel sorry for him when he crumbled during his pitch
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Old 11-12-2014, 08:52
Dission
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From what little we heard, I have reservations about his business plan - it's a very competitive space - and in particular his profit projections. £1m in year 1? Very, very, VERY unlikely.

t.

I also have my reservations on his business plan. It may be one of these cases in which we have a credible candidate but a uninspiring business plan, as it was the case of Helen, Nick, and this year with Mark.

I think it is just natural that they all stick to what they know best, where their expertise is, but you would expect a little bit more creativity and innovation in their business plans. It almost feels that they think that just setting up a business similar to the one that they already work for would be enough because they will have great backing, PR, contacts... etc.

You have to at least show that you have spotted a gap in the market, a niche, that you have come up with some distinctiveness or competitve advantage. But just throwing yourself in a really compettiive sector doing the same as others are already doing is a bit... flat.

If candidates were under scrutinity in the Dragon's Den they would have not lasted more than five minutes.
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Old 11-12-2014, 09:00
slouchingthatch
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I also have my reservations on his business plan. It may be one of these cases in which we have a credible candidate but a uninspiring business plan, as it was the case of Helen, Nick, and this year with Mark.

I think it is just natural that they all stick to what they know best, where their expertise is, but you would expect a little bit more creativity and innovation in their business plans. It almost feels that they think that just setting up a business similar to the one that they already work for would be enough because they will have great backing, PR, contacts... etc.

You have to at least show that you have spotted a gap in the market, a niche, that you have come up with some distinctiveness or competitve advantage. But just throwing yourself in a really compettiive sector doing the same as others are already doing is a bit... flat.

If candidates were under scrutinity in the Dragon's Den they would have not lasted more than five minutes.
And Jim Eastwood and so many other interviewees ...

Stick to what they know best? I agree. In fact when someone comes up with an idea that seems to be well outside their zone - Roisin and ready meals, for instance? - that flags up a possible credibility issue for me.

That's why I suspect Mark's idea is basically just him doing what he's been doing - selling online advertising - but branching out on his own to do it from an online platform rather than a bricks and mortar business. It makes sense in terms of leveraging his own expertise, and as we've seen on a few tasks now he doesn't seem to be that hot when it comes to creativity of any kind. He's a great implementer, but he doesn't seem to be a great creator.

Lasting 5 minutes on Dragons' Den - that long? One of the key weaknesses in so many business plans we've seen over the past few years has been the numbers. The Dragons would have many of them for breakfast. It's one of the things that made Leah stand out last year. Well considered numbers, and she had her exit strategy planned too.
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Old 11-12-2014, 10:14
Diabolus
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He already behaves like a felon, all his dealings show this.
He behaves like a felon and all his dealing show this? I mean come on now, seriously?

Do people just make this stuff up as they go along?
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Old 11-12-2014, 12:26
fiagomez
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I bet he would pay very good money to have had that pulled. I had been thinking he was an arrogant tit, but he looked terrified, and then terrified all over again in the board room. I don't think I have ever seen a man sweat so much while just sitting in a temperate room.
i wondered if he was ill coz he just looked so awful!!

i've not liked him at all but i kinda felt sorry for him.......
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Old 11-12-2014, 13:46
rivercity_rules
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He's a sneak, and doesn't excel through his own ability, rather he gets in the ear of others to manipulate situations so that the only outcome will make him look good.

See the hot tub sales, it wasn't him that sold 7 hot tubs as much as it was a man was there to buy 7 hot tubs. If Mark was there or not, those hot tubs would have been sold. He didn't just say "oh do you want 7 of them, go on take 7" and the guy agreed, it wasn't even on his radar, but he'd manipulated his way into the situation to get the praise for something that he didn't really have any direct impact in.

He's more like a Big Brother contestant than a good business man.
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Old 11-12-2014, 15:55
Evil Genius
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He doesn't strike me as someone you want to work alongside. Not trustworthy enough. Too quick to pass the buck and take the credit.

I worked with someone like that. When he first joined he did say that he'd shaft anyone if it got him further in his career. We all just thought "yeah, right".
How wrong we were. Joe destroyed the good working relationship the boss had with my mate through poisonous whisperings in the boss's ear. It wasn't as if he even wanted Alistair's position or anything like that. He just saw their working relationship as a threat to be removed to allow his to grow. 10 months into Joe's appointment, my mate resigned.

He also nearly got me fired. At the time I was working with him, and he deliberately tried to make me look incompetent by changing the parameters of my job so that it was practically impossible to do fully (parts of it had to be dropped) and then he would complain to the boss. All to make himself look good.

What saved me was he went on holiday for three weeks and those who filled in, including a man who the boss respected a great deal, told him that what was being asked of me was just not feasible. I literally could not be in two separate places at the same time.

A couple of weeks after he returned he moved to a new, better paid job. By that time I was on pills for depression. I really pitied the poor sods in the new place he went to work at., all the fun & games they had to look forward to.
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Old 11-12-2014, 19:34
Sweet FA
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He's a sneak, and doesn't excel through his own ability, rather he gets in the ear of others to manipulate situations so that the only outcome will make him look good.

See the hot tub sales, it wasn't him that sold 7 hot tubs as much as it was a man was there to buy 7 hot tubs. If Mark was there or not, those hot tubs would have been sold. He didn't just say "oh do you want 7 of them, go on take 7" and the guy agreed, it wasn't even on his radar, but he'd manipulated his way into the situation to get the praise for something that he didn't really have any direct impact in.

He's more like a Big Brother contestant than a good business man.
This. He's the least credible, not just of those remaining but many who left before him...and I reckon he knows it too, hence the sweats. On his own and without anyone to round on or attempt to humiliate, (e.g. Daniel) he is nothing...as the interviews will prove. #Can't wait.
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Old 11-12-2014, 22:38
Winchester Lady
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He certainly looked ill to me, too. I don't think he is as manipulative as people imply. I think he has the highest skills out of the candidates and in my view he just puts his view of situations very clearly and accurately. Others can then look inferior as he is so obviously better. I did think it was wrong that he was allowed to diss Sanjay's plan though.
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Old 13-12-2014, 17:23
FusionFury
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Is there evidence of his leadership and business skills?
Putting his name forward for the hot tubs despite knowing it would cause disputes - turned out a stroke of genius.
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Old 13-12-2014, 19:16
Samantha_OBrien
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I agree - but equally we only see a small fraction of what they see on task and back in the house. I think the fact that he seems to be well liked by everyone else other than Daniel is quite telling. And as Sugar has noted, Daniel could start an argument in a room on his own.
Yes, I think more people need to read between the lines!
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Old 13-12-2014, 22:43
slouchingthatch
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Yes, I think more people need to read between the lines!
True. And then some people need to read less between the lines (such as those who see conspiracies everywhere). Of course, the problem is that it's not always obvious where the lines are!
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Old 16-12-2014, 22:17
norbitonite
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Is there evidence of his leadership and business skills?
I haven't seen any. In fact, as far as leadership goes, he seems to actively avoid it, preferring to back seat drive as it enables him to duck responsibility if it goes pear-shaped. It's difficult to really judge the business skills of anyone on TA, as the tasks are really all around buying and selling, but Mark hasn't shown much creative thinking when there has been an opportunity to do so.

What he has shown, in abundance, is an ability and desire to pick holes in others.
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Old 17-12-2014, 04:07
SULLA
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No experience of being self employed.
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Old 17-12-2014, 05:48
thenetworkbabe
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This. He's the least credible, not just of those remaining but many who left before him...and I reckon he knows it too, hence the sweats. On his own and without anyone to round on or attempt to humiliate, (e.g. Daniel) he is nothing...as the interviews will prove. #Can't wait.
Unproven. They may only have had the tubs because Katie corrected Daniel's pitch for them, so it beat James' . They could have won on Katie's sales, we don't know what Daniel would have done, and we don't know if the man wanting 7 would have bought off anyone, or no one, else.
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Old 17-12-2014, 10:25
Alrightmate
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He's a sneak, and doesn't excel through his own ability, rather he gets in the ear of others to manipulate situations so that the only outcome will make him look good.

See the hot tub sales, it wasn't him that sold 7 hot tubs as much as it was a man was there to buy 7 hot tubs. If Mark was there or not, those hot tubs would have been sold. He didn't just say "oh do you want 7 of them, go on take 7" and the guy agreed, it wasn't even on his radar, but he'd manipulated his way into the situation to get the praise for something that he didn't really have any direct impact in.

He's more like a Big Brother contestant than a good business man.
I guess that it's true that you don't buy 7 hot tubs on a whim. I'd hazard a guess that if somebody bought several hotubs then they'd specifically gone out to buy several hotubs.
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Old 17-12-2014, 11:07
Samantha_OBrien
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disappointed by your comment elsewhere - 'disingenuous' - no, never, panicked! when no ideas cam through
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