Ideate

1 min. with a Superhero: Rich Mulholland from Missing Link

by Fred on 08/02/10 at 7:00 am
3 comments

This morning, we’re chatting to the president of presentations, the svengali of slide shows, Richard Mulholland, the founder of Missing Link, a specialist conference and presentation strategy company. Richard has the unique job of telling CEOs what and how they should present.

Rich, we hear through the grapevine that you used to be a rockstar roadie – is this true?
Yeah, I was a lighting tech and designer, I toured with bands like Iron Maiden, Deff Leppard, Bon Jovi… and Cliff Richard (?!)

Awesome. I’m trying to picture the mosh pit at the Cliff Richard concert. So, is it also true that when clients join up to Missing Link that they have to donate blood which you carry around in a small vial around your neck (Angelina-style)?
Yeah, we used to, we now prefer to mix the vial with wheatgrass, and a touch of lime, honey and ginger for a super healthy, and rather delectable brain smoothie.

Missing Link has forged an enviable reputation in the South African business landscape, with strong relationships with some blue chip clients. Can you share some secrets to your growth?
The first secret was specialising in presentations, it was just so un-sexy people’s egos wouldn’t allow them to compete with us head-on. The second secret was hiring people based purely on attitude and training everything else (harder to do as you grow). The third secret is accepting that people leave, and understanding that a company’s greatest asset is thus actually its culture. And the fourth secret is not giving away all your secrets. Fuck.

Easy, easy. I promise we won’t tell anyone… except, say, the 2000-odd Ideate daily subscribers. Moving on, should every business owner or manager learn how to speak in public?
It would help for sure – however we sell presos, so speaking in public is simply our way of putting ourselves in our clients’ shoes. We drink our own Kool-Aid, that is something every business owner or manager should do.

Nice. I’m also a big believer in tasting my own ingredients. What advice would you give, say, a shy, retiring entrepreneur who has been asked to put a preso together on his company vision to an audience of 1000 people, which will then be televised globally?
Hire us. Failing that, if it is actually an entrepreneur (as opposed to small business person) I’d tell them to focus less on his company vision and more on the thing that was ‘broken’ in the first place. See, that’s where the original spark of passion came from, and nothing convinces like conviction.

Thanks a bunch for your time, Rich. Ideate readers, listen up: when you get an opportunity to listen to or meet this renowned speaker, strategist, creative thinker and capitalist punk, take it! Rich is the guy you hire to make your presentation or conference rock. Email him on rich at missinglink.co.za and follow him on Twitter at @RichMulholland (and Missing Link at @presorockgods).

Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. He runs a web marketing company called World Wide Creative and loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. View more articles by Fred.

Tags: entrepreneur, interview

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