On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
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Jason Wyatt , Founder of Marketplacer
wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement ?
Creating Marketplacer ! From a standing start in 2015 , the company I co-founded with Sam Salter has become one of the world ’ s most innovative technology brands , present in 10 countries and serving the shopping needs of hundreds of millions of people .
I ’ ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit – I never wanted to just be a worker ; I wanted to be an owner and a creator – and seeing our vision transformed into reality has been incredibly rewarding .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
I always thought it was the future . If you ’ re going to create a career , you want it to be in a sector that ’ s going to grow ; somewhere that ’ s fast paced and exciting , and where you ’ re surrounded by amazing people who see things the same way . Tech is , without doubt , the most exciting area you can think of to work in , unless , perhaps , you ’ re in the vaccine development space ! It ’ s innovate or die – you ’ re constantly solving problems , and thinking about what ’ s next and you ’ re doing it at scale . That ’ s very different from most nine to five jobs .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
I ’ m a big believer in genuine collaboration and in growing together , and so I see our workforce as a collegiate team , not a group of individuals arranged in a hierarchy . Being very consistent in your approach and behavior is important – people aren ’ t going to get behind a boss who is angry one day , sad the next and happy after that – and so is setting a clear vision and a roadmap for how you ’ ll get there . While a lot of people have natural leadership qualities , I think being a good leader is something you need to work at every day – the best ones I ’ ve known have all wanted to become better versions of themselves .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
Implementing a marketplace strategy ! It ’ s the next big evolution of e-commerce . A marketplace is not just some tool that you plug in and it increases your sales by a percentage point or two – it ’ s a means by which merchants can very quickly grow their turnover by 30 % and significantly improve their customer experience into the bargain . Covid has precipitated its progress : we had 10 years of growth in a day , once businesses realized the opportunities that were available to
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