Marcus Daniels, Chief Operating Officer for Trend Hunter, has a deeply embedded entrepreneurial spirit, which shows through in his admiration for simple strategies that can be used towards kick-starting a business. Thanks to the advancement of technology and the development of various social media forums, testing out the waters to see whether a business is going to sink or swim has never been so easy. His passion for personal enterprise was planted at a very young age, and continues to blossom as he carries forward with collaborating and brainstorming new and innovative ideas.
What is your favorite trend and why?
Without a doubt it is instant entrepreneurship when kick-starting a career. Back when I started my first business, it cost 100 thousand dollars to get a venture off the ground. Now it only takes a few hundred bucks. What was really lacking wasn't the capital, it was these educational experiences. If you are an aspiring fashionista, you can get this hands-on experience of building a brand on a Facebook platform and getting that experience to ensuring your venture is successful.
How do you define cool?
Cool is an idea that tackles the senses. It combines an element of creativity and a dash of uniqueness. It is something that seduces a specific target.
What is your favorite part about working at Trend Hunter?
My favorite thing about working at Trend Hunter is without a doubt collaborating with our branded clients. Working on innovative ad campaigns, bringing back those concepts to the team, having internal brain storming sessions and knocking it out of the park with our solutions.
How do your reset to be creative?
I reset to be creative by travelling. It's not actually reaching the destination point but it is the actual journey to get to that point where I do my best thinking. Typically I pull out my iPhone and think up different concepts and ideas on my way to the destination.
What is your favorite accomplishment?
My favorite accomplishment is probably starting and winning an award for my first venture a little over ten years ago, which was a digital agency in Montreal. Why it's my most favorite accomplishment is because it was a trying time and I persevered through that entrepreneur adventure, which really empowered my career to get to this point.
What inspires or excites you?
What inspires and excites me is creating digital products and ventures that have societal impacts.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
When I was little my goal was to become a technology entrepreneur and I did just that.
Predict something awesome for 2020?
An awesome trend for the future would be seeing Trend Hunter embedded into academic curriculum.
What advice would you give to the business world?
My number one piece of advice for the business world is to experiment every single day. Take risks, bold risks. You'll never regret it.
What is the most remarkable way you see business changing?
The most remarkable way I see business changing is the power of entrepreneurship within an organization.
Any last thoughts you'd like to add about Trend Hunter?
What Trend Hunter means to me is an organization that can inspire thousands of new products and start-ups right across the globe.
Marcus Daniels, Trend Hunter (INTERVIEW)
Daniels Shows the Accessibility Kick-Starting a Business
Trend Themes
1. Instant Entrepreneurship - The advancement of technology and the development of social media platforms have made it easier to kick-start a venture, giving rise to opportunities for quick-profit entrepreneurship with minimal investment.
2. Societal Impact Ventures - There is a growing trend of creating digital products that have a direct impact on society. Businesses that move away from pure profit making ventures and develop products that help solve societal problems will reap the benefits of goodwill and create new market segments.
3. Entrepreneurship Within Organizations - The rise of innovation units within big organizations is a testament to the fact that corporate businesses are looking for new ways to be competitive. Building entrepreneurship units within these organizations can lead to the development of innovative solutions, opening up new markets and creating a culture of innovation.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media Platforms - Developing social media platforms that provide entrepreneurs with business building resources would be a disruptive innovation opportunity in the industry.
2. Education Technology - Integrating digital platforms such as Trend Hunter into school curriculums would be a disruptive innovation opportunity in the industry.
3. Corporate Innovation - Establishing entrepreneurship units within large organizations would be a disruptive innovation opportunity in the industry.