Start:ME Spotlight:

Brian Cohen

Organization

BRC Associates, Inc.

You've started several things. What entrepreneurial experience do you most draw on as a mentor?

I draw most on the mistakes I made and my failures because they help me guide entrepreneurs towards success. History has proven that no one can be a success unless he or she experiences significant failures more than once, because those failures are what foster determination in the entrepreneur and help him or her gain valuable knowledge to avoid committing mistakes in the future. I would rather say that I tried something and failed as proof that something does not work than to simply speculate failure and never know the actual end result, which too many people seem to do.

How has your design background played into your role as a background?

Creativity consistently gives me a powerful edge in conducting business. The ability to augment business acumen with sheer imagination, innovation and fresh ideas is critically necessary to see the overall big picture towards the success of a business, in my opinion. Design has taught me that not every question requires an answer of only either yes or no, as there are countless variables to consider in arriving at a viable solution to each problem. I feel more well-rounded as a business person with a design background as part of my toolbox.

You run a travel blog! Can you share a little about it?

Like business, travel is about taking risks; discovering new things, and, most of all, keeping an open mind. I have traveled to greater than 60 different countries and all 50 United States; and the knowledge I have gained substantially exceeds any other experience and that includes sitting in a classroom. Operating a business is about knowing what your target market wants; and there is no better way to refine this than traveling all over the world amongst people of different cultures. I try to take what I have learned from travel and express myself in articles so that not only can others learn what I have discovered; but also compel them to venture out for themselves by traveling and learning with their own new experiences.