"Cover me while I cut around that blue Mondeo and ambush the guy in the grey suit."
There are not many successful entrepreneurs who will enthusiastically break off in the middle of a multi-million pound deal to have a huge snowball fight in the car park with their finance director.
But then Mark Mills is not just any successful entrepreneur. Whether organising one of his infamous Summer Christmas parties, flying to New York to find a new business idea or staying up all night to celebrate a successful deal, Mark Mills has always believed in the absolute importance of having fun in business. And not just for him, but for his employees, customers and suppliers too.
His brilliantly unique approach has more than paid off. Mark's infectious enthusiasm, relentless energy, can-do approach and spirit of adventure have powered him to the very pinnacle of entrepreneurial success, both in his own businesses and by helping others to do the same in theirs. Over the years he has won countless Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and been asked to give speeches at prestigious events around the world about his achievements.
Making Your Mark tells the fascinating and entertaining story of Mark's extraordinary success in business, from selling broken biscuits at the age of 8, through his early years selling everything from payphones to post boxes, to his outstanding success creating Cardpoint, the cash machine business he founded at the age of 29 which at its peak was valued at £170 million.
But just as importantly, it also tells the story of Mark's disasters along the way, about the times when things went badly wrong and when failure was more often the outcome than success.
Along the way Mark shares his unique Golden Rules on how to achieve your own success in business, from learning how to think like an entrepreneur to creating a great business model, from understanding how to build a strong team to learning how to communicate effectively.
Mark Mills has built and sold numerous businesses for himself and with other people.
He built Europe's largest independent cash machine company, Cardpoint plc., which at its peak was dispensing more than £500m each month. Prior to Cardpoint, Mark was an early disruptor in the postal industry, developing an advertising fronted post box and installing 1,200 at petrol stations throughout the UK, making it the only other post box network to rival the Royal Mail.
Mark is a committed family man and is married to his patient and understanding wife, Angela and has three grown up children, Oliver, and twins Christian and Isabella. They have all supported Mark in his efforts whether successful or otherwise. Mark stills live where he was born on the outskirts of Blackpool and believes you should never forget where you came from.
