Tony Nash: Out and About

If you’re looking for a marketing and sales wizard who will also inspire your staff and colleagues, then who could be more perfect than the man behind Australia’s largest (and most-loved) bookstore? Both a storyteller and storyseller, Tony Nash is an enigmatic expert in forward-thinking entrepreneurship who not only founded the online Booktopia empire, but changed the way we buy books as a nation.

After turning a business with a $10 a day budget into a company with an annual turnover of $240+ million dollars a year in only 18 years, Tony clearly knows more than a thing or two about effective company leadership and rapid sales growth. However, there’s far more to him than profits on the page. With an extensive background in recruitment, programming, SEO and Internet marketing, as well as outstanding negotiation and PR skills, it’s safe to say he’s a specialist in almost every department around the office.

Invaluable experience adds up to very valuable success, and Tony has clearly proven his mettle in the business arena. Can you believe it took him 3 nerve-wracking days to sell his first book, when the store now sells one item every 3.6 seconds? It’s no wonder that Booktopia, now a household name, not only won the Telstra NSW Business of the Year in 2018, but was also ranked 10 in the Inside Retail Top 50 for 2022.

The most impressive part? Tony Nash built this empire with absolutely no experience or credentials. Tony will openly share with the audience that he just passed Year 12, and that he failed in accounting and economics at uni (while busy Mastering in Space Invaders and Snooker) before dropping out after 6 months. Many years ago he was also bankrupt, and in 2017, he even found out he has been living with undiagnosed ADHD all his life. There’s no MBA, no Business Degree. Nothing. His story is testament to the fact that any of us have the capacity to kick goals in any market, and makes him a great inspiration for budding business minds of all ages. He also hasn’t forgotten his roots; his business philanthropic program has, to date, donated over $3 million in books and cash to literary based projects in Australia.

Without any credentials Tony explains how Booktopia succeeded using a common sense, entrepreneurial mindset. He learned through experience, and now has a thorough understanding of everything from sales and forecasting, to bootstrapping, empowerment and executive management. These golden nuggets are applicable to entrepreneurs, leaders and any employee with aspirations to succeed in their career. His impressive skill set has even been acknowledged with the 2018 Industry Recognition Award. But the gift that really sets Tony apart from the pack is his approach to change management and digital disruption. He has many pearls of wisdom to share about understanding how a changing world can create room for new, exciting gaps to fill in the market (particularly in the online space!), and, more importantly, how to seize the opportunities that come from this.

Tony Nash is always a busy man, but after stepping down from his role as Booktopia CEO, this marketing and management guru now has more time up his sleeve to share his business insider secrets with companies both large and small. An absolute gun when it comes to marketing and sales, this natural leader is guaranteed to inspire and awaken the entrepreneurial spirit in any team.

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