eMedia CEO talks success
CEO of digital media group eMedia, Tyrone Wilson says there are three steps to turning goals into reality:
* Put together a plan;
* Put together the right team; and
* Put in the work.
That was how he transformed eMedia from an idea into a portfolio of digital magazines (eZines), an online television channel (iVu TV), and an online creative institution to be launched in 2016 (iCreate); and that was the advice he gave to attendees of JMMB’s Goal Getter Live event at Barbican Beach recently.
Wilson, who came up with his business plan while skipping exams in college in 2006, explained that a plan is necessary whether the goals are for a business, finances, or personal.
“Plan, so you can get the right resources to achieve your goals,” said the eMedia CEO.
Also critical to the process, Wilson said, is seeking advice from established people in the field. Elaborating on the point, he used the example of the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, and NBA great Kobe Bryant. Bolt, he said, repeatedly states that ‘Coach put together a plan and I stuck to the plan’. As for Bryant, WIlson said the basketball player often sought counsel from Michael Jordan.
In his case, Wilson said he approached President and CEO of Sagicor Group Jamaica Richard Byles, who he had admired since college, for advice.
eMedia was launched in 2008 as an online magazine. Since then, Wilson has won several awards for entrepreneurship, including the PSOJ 50Ufifty and the Prime Minister’s Youth Award.
“The success of my company is not a result of just me, but of my team members, my family, my board, and my financial partner. These individuals work together willingly to achieve that one thing,” he said.
He warned, however, that the criteria for being part of one’s team need not include friendship.
“Go get it!” he encouraged the young people.
“Success doesn’t come overnight and achieving your goal is a journey, not a destination,” he continued.
Wilson is a graduate of Jamaica College and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking & Finance from the University of the West Indies, Mona.
