There aren’t too many people who have managed to be successful in the business world and as a media personality, but Mark Bouris has done it. As an entrepreneur and innovator, Bouris has conquered the business world and with a successful career in the media, he might be Australia’s most recognisable businessman. Now, the guru is passing on his knowledge and sharing the tenets that have led him to success.
Bouris made his name as the founder of mortgage lender Wizard Home Loans, which was sold for $500 million. In 2007 he founded Yellow Brick Road, a financial planning and home loan business. Bouris’ business success led to a career as a media personality. He went on to host ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ and the podcast ‘The Mentor’.
With a successful multi-industry career under his belt, Bouris has turned to passing on his immense knowledge to aspiring entrepreneurs. Besides the usual business secrets and insider tips, he says there are a number of lifestyle changes and mindsets that can help you become successful. The biggest one? Discipline. Bouris says being disciplined with your life is the key to preparing yourself for success.
“In order to be disciplined in what you do you must establish a routine.”
Men’s health: How important is discipline in striving for success?
Mark Bouris: When I think about discipline I think about routine and the ability to stick to a routine. In order to be disciplined in what you do you must establish a routine. That could be a morning routine involving what time you get up, what you eat for breakfast or what you wear to work which is really important. A routine requires structure, that means you pretty much have your days planned out and generally you can just build on that, build on that and build on that until you see the benefits.
This isn’t just for a work routine or a business routine, the same applies for your physical and personal discipline. That’s why I get up at the same time every morning. Even on the weekend, even if I go to bed really late, I’ll still get up at the same time, I still exercise and I still have my coffee.
Mark makes the importance of discipline clear. But he believes it’s also important to take a break from your routine and give yourself time to reset. As he puts it, “Part of your routine is having a break and pausing for a moment. That can be once a month where you sit down and just look at what’s going on in your life. You don’t want to just be working, you want to be working on yourself.”
With a heavy emphasis on routine, what does Mark’s morning routine look like? The 61-year-old wakes up at the same time everyday and makes sure he hits the gym before starting work. Of course, before work even begins Mark is looking for any relevant information that might affect him in the news to stay on top of what the day might throw at him.
How do you start your day to make sure you’re ready for success? Do you have a morning routine?
I’m an early riser and I wake up at 4:30am. I get out of bed and let my dog outside. I always have a coffee really early and a couple of spoonsful of porridge which are some great slow-release carbs. Then I get into the gym really early and I do different workouts each day, I try to work out almost every day. I usually give myself one day a week off and I’ll just go for a walk instead. Then I’ll head into my office, and I’ll start by reading the various newspapers that are relevant to me. After that I’m ready to start work by 7:30.
Mark incorporates several wellness rituals into his daily routine to help him stay focused and on top of his game. Whether it’s meditation, blocking everything out, or simply being in the moment, Mark finds a number of rituals help get his mind right.
“I spend a lot of time trying to be in the moment and I think that’s a great way for me to start my day.”
Do you have any wellness rituals that help you stay focused and feeling your best?
I try to meditate. I have an office that I can do that in, but even if I’m not there I can do it in my car. I just lay back and focus on my breathing.
Going to the gym is also like meditating for me. What I do in the gym is a long-established routine and I use that as almost a meditational release. I put a lot of emphasis on my breathing, I block everything out, I don’t have my mobile phone in there and I’m not listening to music. I’m just thinking about what I’m doing and feeling what I’m doing. Whether it’s aerobics or resistance work, I try to be very much in the moment.
I do little things in the morning. I actually try to taste my coffee, rather than just making it and throwing it down. I spend a lot of time trying to be in the moment and I think that’s a great way for me to start my day.
When it comes to growing a business, Mark could certainly be called an expert. Mark’s career has focused on building disruptive businesses that challenge the existing market to create a successful brand. Mark has a multitude of knowledge to share with tips for success.
What are some of your top tips for success?
The first thing is talk to other people. With all the mentoring I do, I’m passing on what I’ve experienced or learned. Those experiences usually come as a result of dealing with other people. I’ve always had partners in everything I do and I’m always talking to them about what they know. When I’m finding out what to do, I don’t go to the newspapers I find out from experts who are in the market or in the game. My tip for success is to do that. You’ve gotta listen to and talk to as many of these people as possible.
To be successful you also need to have a framework. Have your story, have the right mindset, have your plan and understand the environment that you’re going into. Create your framework, then go chase down as many sources of information as you possibly can to fit into that framework. Dismiss the noise, only look at what’s relevant. Otherwise, you’ll be sitting around all day looking at Instagram staring at your mobile phone and you’ll just get overloaded with information. You don’t know what’s correct, what’s incorrect, what’s relevant to you or not if you don’t have the framework to contain it in.
Are there any other characteristics that can help you be successful?
Well, there’s the obvious ones like working hard and working purposefully, but another one is awareness. Being aware of what’s going on the world to give yourself the ability to predict things and have foresight. You won’t get that from just watching the news, you need to be proactive about it. If the treasurer is talking at a function, it’s probably worth paying $50 and going to it to listen to the person who controls our economy.
Mark wants to pass on his expertise and the knowledge he has acquired to aspiring entrepreneurs and innovative business owners. The Reset and Rise tour, which begins in early 2023, brings together industry experts to share their advice on growing a business, perfecting your story and getting stuff done.
What’s the Reset and Rise tour all about? What can people expect?
It’s been something I’ve planned on doing for a few years now, but Covid stopped all the pieces from coming together. It’s similar to what I’ve been doing for a long time, which is doing talks related to business with business owners, small business owners, aspirational businessmen and also people who are employees and are looking to improve their position within their job.
I’m trying to bring to the audience the stuff they don’t normally get to see. I’ll be giving people perspective on the economy. That’s why we’re calling it Reset and Rise. Let’s get our brain right and reset our mental position as to what it is we are facing, because you can only play what’s in front of you and I’m gonna tell everyone what’s in front of them. This is going to be in my usual no bullshit way. I’m gonna tell them exactly what I think as a result of all the economists, all the experts and all the government people that I talk to. I’m gonna try and put it into really simple terms and go through the environment within which we’re going to play. Whether it’s good or bad or otherwise, I’m gonna tell it how it is. It’s about rising above all the noise. Knowing exactly what you’re going to do. And listening to people who have done it before. That’s what Reset and Rise is all about.
Mark stresses the importance of listening to experts who have found success. To accomplish this for Reset and Rise, he’s bringing aboard a team of entrepreneurs to share their experiences and opinions.
“I’ve met a lot of people through my podcast. Really impressive people, particularly young people who are very good at what they do. So, I thought that I would curate what I consider to be three of the best and bring them together.”
Can you tell me about the team that you’ve assembled for Reset and Rise?
One of the key things we’re going to talk about is how to tell a story. Everyone’s got a story and you can use it to establish your brand, but you need to know how to tell it. I’ve got an individual named Kirk Docker, who created the show ‘You Can’t Ask That’ on the ABC. He’s a great storyteller and he’s going to help people learn how to develop and tell their story in a consistent way that can help them.
Then I’ve got Brittney Saunders. I’ve met a lot of inspirational people on the podcasts I do, but I’ve chosen Brittney because she does shit and she gets stuff done. Nothing gets in her way, nothing bothers her, she’s all about just doing it rather than sitting around procrastinating and overplanning forever, but equally not being reckless. She’s just a doer.
Finally, I’ve got Tobi Pearce who is somebody who really knows his way around raising money, finding investors and building a business to the right scale. In Tobi’s case, he was the co-founder of Sweat and he’s had some really interesting experiences there.
At the end of our interview, Mark noted that I have an unusual name and asked me for its origin. At first, I was confused as to why my name was so interesting. Mark explained that having a memorable name is a great thing in business. He told me “When you’re building a brand, it doesn’t matter if people like it or not. You just want them to remember it. Because you have a memorable name, it’s got me asking questions about it and it means I’ll remember you.”
The Reset and Rise Tour is coming to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in February 2023. Tickets are available now: premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=MARKBOUR23
