Insights of Pacific Direct

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  Where does success in business come from?

  Lara Morgan says she does not think of herself as successful and credits an international upbringing and parents determined to teach her that hard work pays off.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  What is it like growing up when a parent goes bankrupt?

  Lara Morgan says her father took a long time to go bankrupt and that her parents, determined to try to keep her in education, sent her to private school.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  Did Lara Morgan go to university?

  Lara Morgan says her father's bankruptcy left no money for sports science at Loughborough, so she went to work, paying rent to her parents two weeks after her A levels.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  What makes a good salesperson?

  Lara Morgan says sales is a relationship in which the seller listens, puts themselves in the other person's shoes to understand their goals and aims, and helps smooth their path.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  Why invest in a product people say they don't need?

  Lara Morgan says the world does not need more bags and needs better ones that last longer, and likens Scentered to Henry Ford pushing water uphill with the motor car.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  Why do people lose resilience and determination?

  Lara Morgan says people will have no resilience, persistence or determination without seeing and gaining a return on their invested effort.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  Why is it important to set ambitious goals?

  Lara Morgan says people have to have goals and asks why anyone would have average ones, since aiming for the moon might land them on the stars.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  What makes a new product worth bringing to market?

  Lara Morgan says anything she brings to market has to be better and different, with a sustainability element, because the world does not need more stuff.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  What did Lara Morgan sell first?

  Lara Morgan says there were no jobs in 1991, so she made one selling sewing kits and shower caps, and took them to the Dorchester on her grandmother's advice.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  How many sales calls a day did Lara Morgan make?

  Lara Morgan says she set herself a target of 100 calls before her morning drink, which might mean 100 rejections, and the business did £108,000 in its first year.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  Where did Lara Morgan start her business?

  Lara Morgan says her business started in a granny flat in Bedford and the homes that followed, up to a manor, were stepping stones.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  Why is business momentum so hard to maintain?

  Lara Morgan says KitBrix has momentum after its best year yet, and that momentum is not a pure sport, because a QC issue, an unwell colleague or an accident will still arrive.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  How many quotes should you get before making a decision?

  Lara Morgan says her approach to everything is to ask, get three quotes, meet three styles and then make good decisions, sometimes combining what she learns from all three.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  Why should you ask experienced entrepreneurs for help?

  Lara Morgan says grey-haired entrepreneurs should celebrate the success of those who interview them and make introductions, and that those who do not ask do not get.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  How do you involve your team in a five-year plan?

  Lara Morgan says walking the wall, a planning exercise learnt at Stanford, puts a five-year goal in writing and is done with the team, because team is everything.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  What to do when a buyer says your price is too high?

  Lara Morgan says she sent Savlon to a buyer who called her prices high, with a note that she could help with the beating but not the price.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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  How do you reward yourself when money is tight?

  Lara Morgan says people should celebrate by rewarding themselves and can start small; in her early days, when money was tight, her reward was a leg wax.

  Lara Morgan

  The BEYOND Podcast · Season 3, episode 11

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