I have incredible experiences and wonderful learnings from my time at Apple, along a few battle scars as a corporate escapee. I needed change, a genuine ‘sea change’ always appealed. So with a business partner we created a boutique and entrepreneurial ‘lifestyle business’ in the marine industry (now that’s a genuine sea change). Our business started off small and we grew quickly to meet the needs of the market. My business partner Andrew and I successfully sold the business and exited some 15-years later.
My next challenge was as Manager and Ambassador for a bayside community for 4-years. This was a new residential, marina and harbour development for 1,000 families (kids, dogs and boats) in Melbourne’s west.
I’ve always had a deep connection with the ocean, I’m a wanna-be pro surfer that lacks ability but that’s never stopped me. Along the way, I have written three award-winning bestselling books on boating, family and lifestyle. My first title went Top 5 on iTunes. I built a strong community on social media, a growing media profile and are widely respected amongst entrepreneurial circles as “the guy who gets sh*t done”. Naturally, that works for me!
I’m a seasoned presenter with radio 3AW where I present the ‘Beach and Bay reports’ over summer which I’ve done professionally since 2014. I love the challenge of live radio and this aligns well with my passion for the outdoors, lifestyle and the ocean.
I graduated from the Dent Global’s ‘Key Person of Influence’ entrepreneurial accelerator program in 2012 and was the first back-to-back winner of their ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award for Australia.
Enough about me, let’s create your story!
1. Disciplined
I’m focused on making the business work and eliminate any hindrances or distractions standing in the way of reaching my goals.
2. Confidence
I am confident that with my knowledge, experience and with the support of my community/mentors, that I will make business succeed. I exude confidence in everything I do.
3. Open Minded
As an entrepreneur, I realise that every; circumstance, event and situation are potential business opportunities. My ideas constantly flow about workflows and efficiency, people skills, product eco-systems and potential new business opportunities. I have the ability to look at everything around me and focus it towards my goals.
4. Self Starter
I know that if something needs to be done, I should start it myself and there is no better time than the present to ‘just do it’. I set clear parameters and make sure that projects follow that path. I’m proactive and intuitive, I do not like waiting for someone to give me permission, so I prefer to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
5. Competitive
I have formed businesses where I see growing opportunity to do it better. Tick Those Boxes is a perfect example where there is plenty of ‘Business Coaches’ in the market, but rarely do the focus on actual ‘Accountability’. This is why I work with a number of clients of business coaches, to offer hands-on implementation of what’s been agreed between the client and their coach.
I formed Tick Those Boxes because I know that with my knowledge, experience and energy I can do a better job of solving a clients real problem, thereby making a quantifiable difference to them by simply delivering a much better outcome than the others. I’m incredibly competitive and I respect my competition knowing their role is to largely keep me accountable, and make me better.
6. Creativity
I’m really good at being able to make connections between seemingly unrelated events or situations, in a creative and commercially focussed manner. As an entrepreneur, I often come up with solutions which are the synthesis of other items. I’ve been known to repurpose products to market them to new industries and new clients.
7. Determination
I am not thwarted by my defeats. I look at defeat as an opportunity for success and as a learning experience. I am determined to make all of my endeavours succeed, so I will try and try again until it does. As a successful entrepreneur, I do not believe that something cannot be done or at least I’ll try so many times, that every opportunity is explored or exhausted.
8. Strong people skills
I understand the importance of people as an asset in any business. Consequently, I’m have strong communication skills, I like to sell the product and I motivate employees and others as we work together as a team toward a common goal. I know how to motivate my employees, so the business grows overall. I am great at highlighting the benefits of any situation and naturally coaching others to their success.
9. Strong work ethic
I lead from the front. As a successful entrepreneur, I will often be the first person to arrive at the office and the last one to leave. I will come in on my days off to make sure that an outcome meets (or exceeds) expectations. My mind is constantly focussed on delivering products to fix customer problems.
10. Passion & Energy
Passion & Energy is one of the most important traits that I posses. With a genuinely love my work and my why, I’m willing to put in those extra hours to make the business succeed because I just love what I do which goes beyond the money. I’m constantly reading and researching ways to make the business better.
11. Been There, Done That
I’ve worked in both BIG business (read my experience at Apple) and as an entrepreneur in my own right.
I’ve built several of my own entrepreneurial businesses throughout my working life. Largely in the service and lifestyle industries, we have also acquired businesses as part of a strategy to achieve growth and market share.
We’ve also started businesses to see ‘how it goes’… We built a great reputation supported by a strong business model. We got the annual turnover to $5m+ and some 15 years later, my business partner and I successfully sold the business and exited. I’ve walked in your footsteps, been a ‘solopreneur’ and I know the roller-coaster journey ahead of you all too well.
Recognised in the following areas:
Download your copy of Darren’s resume
– Darren Finkelstein Resume 01112019
– TICK THOSE BOXES AUSTRALIA
Key achievements
– RADIO 3AW ~ MACQUARIE MEDIA
– LIFE’S BETTER WITH A BOAT
– MIRVAC
– ALL ABOUT BOATS for Ch7 and Foxtel
– DENT GLOBAL ~ Key Person of Influence
Key achievements
I was the 2019 Entrepreneur-in-residence and Ambassador for CoWork Me in St Kilda. CoWork Me is a southside coworking hub and business incubator in St Kilda, opening up spaces for new and seasoned professionals to do their best work.
“For our members, Darren runs regular learning sessions, he hosts great ‘lunch and learn’ events in which he brings in subject matter expert speakers and he shares all of his knowledge and experiences with our members and this greatly assists their businesses to grow and prosper”, said Rob Materia, General Manager.
– WYNDHAM HARBOUR
Key Achievements
– ST KILDA BOAT SALES & SERVICE CENTRE
Key achievements
– APPLE
Key achievements
Current
Past
ATTENTION
Darren is the best and came very highly recommended from several others from within the Dent Global 'Key Person of Influence' entrepreneurial community. I wanted to work with somebody who was going to keep me accountable and who did the program. Because of Darren's own career success, I knew I needed to work with him and it's been an incredible several weeks already and I'm literally ticking those boxes and getting things done as I've shared with you today. He offers great value, he is easy to talk with, cares about you and is direct which is what I love and need and most importantly he listens to you! The weekly accountability is what makes such a difference and because you are a fire starter and can Get Sh*t Done it would be easier. Darren just has the right advice to give and he's great to bounce ideas and get clarity and confirmation on what needs to be done.
When I think about Getting Stuff Done, I think about Darren Finkelstein. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Darren over the past 6 years. During that time, I’ve seen him get more done than many do in a lifetime. He’s become a bestselling author, with three books to his name, a sought-after expert in the media and is a successful entrepreneur. He’s smart, action-oriented and easy to get along with. Darren has been of significant help to me personally and is one of my ‘inner-circle’ of trusted, go-to experts when it comes to business. When I need to make things happen, I talk to Darren.
Darren has a take-no-prisoners approach to getting stuff done. He's achieved so much in his own businesses for years (like, who writes three books in a row whilst running a business?!). So, if you're frustrated business owner who feels like you could be ticking more boxes, your next step is to get Darren on your side.
