Triumphant Events [ Inspirational Blog ]

There is a new breed of Entrepreneurs coming up through the ranks... watch out.

2008-07-31T04:15:35Z

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4PuJmDEJ384

How old were you when you first "Googled"?

Chances are you were an adult. You didn't Twitter at school, email friends links to YouTube videos or write on their FaceBook walls to arrange a weekend get together.

If you did grow up doing all of those things and you stumble upon entrepreneurship you are going to be a very different breed of business owner.

For these people, ecommerce is more natural than walking into a store ... finding a freelance web designer in India is easy ... and scaling your business to 10,000 customers a month is probably not being ambitious enough.

Apple, Microsoft, Virgin and Dell are just four examples of student businesses that hit the big-time and led the trends over the past three decades. If you want to know what is coming in the next 30 years, keep your eyes on the businesses forming around your local campus.

Follow your passion when you feel it bite.

2008-06-16T08:37:18Z

At age 22, photographer and filmmaker, Rob Steward set off to make a documentary about something he was passionate on, Sharks.

Five years later he had sunk all of his money into the film, been arrested on attempted murder, chased by the mafia and had come close to death several times (none from sharks).

What he stumbled upon was one of the greatest environmental crimes of our time and an issue that no one would champion. The mass decimation of shark populations is linked to the high price of shark fin soup in Asia. It is big business and over 100 million sharks are finned alive each year for it.

Rob's film was released in 2007 and won 26 awards and found distribution all over the world. His story was picked up by the media and his message has caused waves of change.

Rob's courage to follow his passion has paid big dividends. His message has been heard, his film making career is powering and he has won well-earned admiration all over the world. Be sure to see "Sharkwater".

No News is Good News

2008-05-16T06:49:18Z

Most television is a waste of time but this video confirms that the News has become a pitiful waste of time.

An average adult in Westernized countries watches four hours of television a day. We are only awake for 16 hours a day and most people work for at least half of that. This means more than half of peoples' leisure time gets absorbed into this vacuum.

Until networks and news sites change, absolutely nothing good can come from watching the news.

Instead of watching the news, why not:

1. Meet-up with friends you haven't seen for months
2. Excercise your body
3. Read a book, listen to music, listen to personal development programs,
4. Cook a meal
5. Learn a new skill (Dancing, Kung-fu, Painting)
6. Volunteer your time at a charity
7. Make the news!

Is the Climate Crisis the greatest opportunity of our time?

2008-04-11T02:26:41Z

Many people feel helpless, confused, overwhelmed and powerless in regards to the Climate Crisis. In this powerful talk, Al Gore encourages us to see the amazing opportunity that this crisis presents us to come together as a humanity.

Al Gore also makes powerful points that relate to entrepreneurs and investors. He provocatively likens coal and oil companies to "junkies looking for another vein". He shows the success of innovative companies that are taking steps to solve this crisis.

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/243

Could your idea be the key to your legacy?

2008-03-14T23:20:55Z

In the month of March 1845, Stephen Perry walked into the patents office to register his ground breaking new technology.

It was called the "Rubber Band" and this british inventor had just created one of the world most universally understood products ever made. In doing so he created his legacy as a successful inventor.

With the right vision, strategy and team his little idea took off and found its way into stationery cupboards all over the world.

Do you have a little idea that could go big... it just might be the key to your legacy.

Band together with inspiring entrepreneurs who stretch you on April 14-16 at "Your Life Your Legacy" - The Entrepreneurs Event of the Year...www.triumphantevents.co.uk/?unlock=87-zdg47bs9v87gtn9pkbmhtwsx

eBay's roots date back to 1995...

2008-02-08T00:38:11Z

eBay's roots date back to 1995 when (co-)founder Pierre Omidyar and his fiancé were talking about the difficulty she was having trying to contact other people who collect Pez candy dispensers. Omidyar realized the Internet would be the perfect vehicle to create a trading community, but on-line auctions were still more a concept than a business when Skoll and Omidyar quit their jobs a year later to work on the project full-time.

As founding President of eBay, Jeff Skoll has had a track record of launching businesses that result in positive social change. At eBay, he developed the business plan that the company still follows today, creating entrepreneurial opportunities for individuals around the world. In 1998 he inspired the company to take an active role in philanthropy, pioneering creation of the eBay Foundation through the allocation of pre-IPO shares. This innovation sparked similar initiatives by other young companies in high-technology hubs across the United States.

In 1999 Jeff created the Skoll Foundation, which takes an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy by investing in, connecting and celebrating the world's most promising social entrepreneurs in order to effect lasting, positive social change worldwide. Through its Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship, the foundation provides financing and complementary services to leading social entrepreneurs whose innovations are poised for growth and replication.

In 2004 Jeff founded Participant Productions, a global media company that produces entertainment to inspire and compel social change. Participant's 2005 films, including Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana and North Country, collectively garnered 11 Academy Award nominations. One of its 2006 releases, An Inconvenient Truth, has been at the forefront in driving an unprecedented grassroots commitment to address climate change and has received two Academy Awards.

In April 2005 Jeff partnered with Silicon Valley entrepreneur Kamran Elahian to launch The Gandhi Project, which dubbed the epic film Gandhi into Arabic in order to screen it throughout the Palestinian territories. Working with nongovernmental organization partners, The Gandhi Project promotes nonviolent resistance and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi through screenings combined with discussion. Plans are under way to expand the project throughout the Arab world.

Today Skoll serves as Chairman of Participant Productions and the Skoll Foundation and resides in California. In 2006 he was named as one of TIME Magazine's 100 People of the Year.

Rolls Royce - an unknown legacy of its founder.

2008-02-03T15:27:24Z

In 1904, 43 year-old engineer Henry Royce sat with a 27 year-old, pioneering car dealer, Charles Rolls to discuss the idea of selling his cars in Britain. In 1906, the pair formed their new company Rolls Royce Limited. In their first year of business, they won several awards for quality engineering.

Charles Royce was as passionate about airplanes as he was automobiles, forming the Royal Aero Club in 1903 and becoming the 2nd person to be certified by it. He broke several records in hot air balloons and aero-planes before disaster struck in 1910. Rolls was piloting a Write Flyer when the tail snapped off and he was the first Briton to die in a plane crash at just 33 years old.

Henry Rolls assumed custodianship of his partners legacy for excellence in automotive and aeronautic engineering and began manufacturing plane engines as well as cars in 1914. This proved to be a stroke of genius when war broke and Rolls Royce was able to finance its growth by making engines for planes during the war.

The company swelled and in 1931 bought out its rival, Bentley, during the great depression.

Today the Rolls Royce brand has the “Super Luxury Car” category almost entirely tied up, it works with Airbus and Boeing to provide state-of-the-art engines for their flying fleet and it's brand is one of the most well known and respected in the world.

Charles Rolls will never know the strength and importance of his legacy however by following his passion boldly he has become an immortalized figure in Briton's history.

Mama Mia! ... Judy Craymer is an incredible entrepreneur.

2008-01-05T11:54:01Z

Judy Cramer created the stage show Mama Mia after meeting Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, of ABBA while she was working in production in the London Theatre scene.

Originally pitching the idea as a movie screen play she had a breakthrough in 1995 when she realised that it would be better to create a stage show.

By 1997 she had invested over £20,000, 2 years of her time and had sold her flat to finance the growing costs of her obsession. With virtually no encouragement from her friends she persisted on.

Finally in late 1997 Judy successfully secured the rights to the ABBA songs, persuaded Polygram to finance half the £3M set up costs and advance her £300,000 to begin the show.

With the support of Polygram, Bjorn and Benny she went on to get a Swedish Bank to finance the rest of the money she needed to open the show.

In April 1999, four years after she was struck with the idea, Mama Mia opened to sell-out crowds and the show was an instant success. It has since grossed more than $2 billion at the box office, opened in more than 170 cities all over the world, been seen by 30 million people.

Craymer's has a 50% share in her company "Littlestar", that has monthly turnover of £16M+. All the creative team involved in the show have become millionaires, and Craymer earns an estimated £4m a year from the show, amassing a personal fortune of tens of millions of pounds.

Not to rest on her laurels, Judy Craymer recently announced that her Stage Show will finally become the movie she originally envisaged over a decade ago. With Universal Pictures behind it, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan Staring in it and a $65M Budget it is sure to be the feel good "chick-flick" of the summer.

Your personal brand - Build it, Value it, Leverage it, Protect it

2007-11-29T14:51:22Z

“I look out in my yard and see cars worth over $400,000... It wasn't because of my success in music it was because of my success in business” - 50 Cent

Curtis Jackson was discovered in 2003 by fellow rapper “Eminem” who helped him to get a recording contract with producer “Dr Dre”. Once he had established his brand as “50 Cent” he wasted no time in partnering with businesses in several industries to help boost their sales.

Fifty makes his money by lending his brand to new businesses. He teamed up with Marc Ecko to form the clothing brand “G-Unit”, he worked with Sony to create a game that features his voice and likeness.

By leveraging his brand he has made far more money than many other more successful recording artists. Forbes Magazine says that Curtis Jackson, AKA 50 Cent, made over $40 Million last year. He also reportedly made over $410 Million from the sale of his stake in “Vitamin Water” when Coke purchased the business for $4.1Billion.

50 Cent has turned his star profile into an entrepreneurial empire that crosses over into many products and industries. By focusing on the power of his brand he is well on the way to becoming the first “Hip-Hop Billionaire”.

How are you building your brand, leveraging on your brand and protecting your brand. Whether you like his music or not, we can all learn a lot from 50 Cent.

One of the greatest entrepreneurs in history....

2007-11-12T20:15:09Z

One of the greatest entrepreneurs in history, Steve Jobs is one of only a handful of people to ever create more than one businesses worth over a billion dollars. After creating the first personal computers and building a billion dollar company while still in his 20's, Jobs was fired from Apple at age 30.

Steve Jobs went on to acquire Pixar from George Lucas which released Toy Story, a blockbuster success at the box office. After growing and merging his second Billion Dollar Company, he became the single largest shareholder of Disney. He then returned to the stagnating Apple Corporation where the innovative iTunes and iPod combination resurrected the failing technology giant to make it one of the strongest brands on the planet.

This inspiring entrepreneur has transformed the way the world relates to computers, movies and music!

This video shares some of the critical moments that have shaped Steve Job's life and indeed billions of people worldwide.

A $25,000 commitment to The Hunger Project

2007-10-24T05:54:51Z

Triumphant Events founder, Daniel Priestley, attended The Hunger Project's 30th Anniversary gala event in New York. At this event Daniel presented a cheque for $25,000 that was raised through the commitment of Coutts Bank and XL Results Foundation Members. A further $25,000 has been pledged by December 31.

As an incredibly unexpected bonus, all donations and pledges at the event were doubled through corporate sponsors of the event. This means that Triumphant Events was able to effectively contribute $100,000 this year to The Hunger Project. This money will be used to build an "Epicenter" (used as a bank, school, medical center, food store and town hall) in Uganda.

TED: Richard Branson: Life at 30,000 feet

2007-10-24T05:26:18Z

In this episode of Ted Talks, Richard Branson advances the term "capitalist philanthropy". The concept of not just acquiring wealth for the sake of getting richer and bigger and better goodies, but in turn using that responsibility of power to help humanity and the small planet in which we inhabit.

Daniel, Glen, Roger Hamilton and the XL Leadership Team in Bali

2007-10-12T06:08:46Z

Glen & Daniel suffered for over 7 days in Bali recently as they connected with Roger Hamilton and his XL leadership team. XL is now represented in 18 countries and more than 35 cities around the world and we are proud to be promoting Roger and the philosophy of World Wide Wealth in the UK.

The Hunger Project - XL Results Foundation Partnership Announced at 2007 Clinton Global Initiative

2007-09-26T05:53:27Z

New York (26 September 2007): At the 3rd annual Clinton Global Initiative meetings, a $5 million (USD) commitment by the XL Results Foundation to The Hunger Project was announced today. This commitment will enable The Hunger Project to expand its strategy for ending hunger in rural India. The strategy empowers the rural women elected to serve on local village councils with a support structure that includes ongoing trainings (skill-building, leadership, legal rights, local government law), mobilizing the support of media and civil society, and building federations for policy reforms at the state and national level.

For the full commitment on the Clinton Global Initiative website, click here.

Sandy Berger (left of Joan), who served as National Security Advisor under President Clinton, announced the commitment at the close of the first working session "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs - From Poverty Alleviation to Wealth Creation."

The $5 million contribution over five years from the XL Results Foundation will build the capacity and enhance the decision-making power of 50,000 elected women leaders whose actions in turn will affect the lives of 15 million villagers. It will help mobilize local action campaigns to improve health, education, nutrition and family income in partnership with elected village councils. This major financial contribution will also support alliance building to advocate for policy reform. It will track, document and widely publicize the progress being achieved in a large sample of these villages.

Development experts agree that when women have voice in their villages, they alter the development agenda to address the critical issues of meeting basic needs and to confront harmful cultural practices. Joan Holmes, President of The Hunger Project has said: "Women in local government shift the development agenda towards meeting basic human needs. They also take on harmful social practices like dowry, domestic violence, child marriage and child labor. They empower other women to know their rights. Empowered women begin to transform gender relations and call into question the deeply entrenched patriarchal system. I've seen it work. I've seen what these women can do." (Joan with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, 1990 Africa Prize Laureate)

Roger Hamilton, Chairman of the XL Group commented "The Clinton Global Initiative exists to tackle the toughest issues of our time and clearly hunger and poverty are top of that list. The Pioneer Club is about bringing practical results for real problems and we are proud to partner with The Hunger Project in working toward the sustainable end of world hunger."

The Hunger Project is an international NGO that works in partnership with grassroots women and men in more than 22,000 villages across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America to sustainably end their own hunger. It is on the roster of the UN Economic and Social Council, and has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.

The XL Results Foundation, led by Roger Hamilton, is Asia's largest entrepreneur network, with 60,000 entrepreneurs across Asia, and operations in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai and USA.

The Clinton Global Initiative is a non-partisan project which brings together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.

Media contact: Anastasia Andrzejewski - Telephone: +1 212-251-9129 - aha@thp.org

Thank you for making Akasha 2007 an incredible event

2007-08-06T05:58:55Z

Akasha 2007 ... held at the London Palladium Theatre ... was the event we've always wanted to put on, for us it was beyond words - a powerful day, featuring some of the worlds best speakers we could find for you. With a clear message of "create more and contribute more" it was a truly momentous for many.