Where does the style come from?
Why do most successful men often develop their own?
Can you learn to have style and develop your own?
In this series of exclusive interviews for MANO we try to understand the secrets and vision of successful personalities who have made style their own trademark.
Today we have with us Edward Malvezzi, pluri-entrepreneur and serial innovator.
Hi Edward, let's start by telling our readers a little about you and your entrepreneurial story.
Hi everyone! My entrepreneurial story?
It is a long history with experiences in different sectors and fields but, trying to summarize, I would say that it all started from an adolescent propensity for business which over time has grown and developed in various fields including banking, finance, real estate, commercial and manual up to the creation of scalable businesses (commercial chains).
The most significant projects have certainly been 3Bar'S, with the opening of over 60 locations, and Yummm, which is an automated express catering format.
Today, through digitalization, which is the real contemporary wave to ride, I am mainly engaged in the creation of a commercial network of highly innovative and completely digitalized hotel structures " HH Hermoso Housing Digital Accommodation ", which after a laborious gestation period will start shortly even under the franchise formula.
A project, like the previous ones, completely innovative and unique, very complex but extremely exciting !
In summary, my entrepreneurial history has achieved the maximum result where I managed to innovate and optimize a specific sector - after having examined it and lived on the front line - creatively bringing experiential components acquired in other areas
We live in an era that is characterized by a hyper-offer of products and an intercultural mix. Tastes and fashions are truly merged into a single "melting pot" that is difficult to interpret. In such a diverse environment when, in your opinion, does a man really have “Style”?
My personal vision is that a man has style when he expresses his peculiarities and his vision of life in a coordinated way, with clarity and determination, in a unique way and without conditioning.
A mix of looks, mindset, the way of relating and one's own choices both in life and in purchasing... all with coherence.
What are the ways, not necessarily related to fashion or accessories, with which you express the fact that you are a man of style?
Details always make the difference together with the way of acting, education and listening skills .
For me, coherence between the look, the mood, the behavior and the accessories is fundamental.
Globalization tends to standardize production and make it efficient in commercial processes, leaving less room for small production companies.
In the light of this statement, how much value do you attribute to Italian craftsmanship?
Undoubtedly a high value given by the historicity and by the Italian brand recognized throughout the world for creativity , innovation, artistry, elegance , attention to detail, quality and uniqueness ... a style that distinguishes us from others.
I agree on the effects of globalization but I believe that digitization will also allow small companies to automate, making production and marketing more efficient.
I would not be surprised if in the next few years there will be a fusion of the industrial concept and the artisanal concept which will create a new artisanal luxury industry .
What are the 3 things you like most about Italian craftsmanship and how do you think the "new class" of Italian artisans should move today, from a commercial point of view?
- The unmistakable mix of historicity and creativity that it transmits;
- The quality that is objectively recognized;
- That pinch of homemade approximation often combined with the genius that makes it unique and recognizable.
I would like to see more innovation through experimental processes that few artisans still operate.
I think it is necessary to create objects that allow one to express one's personality .
For example, in the context of men's jewellery, the jewel can allow one to express one's mood and one's vision also through play.
A bit like with the dress but in a less impactful and more discreet way.
Finally, I believe that the craftsman today should:
- industrialize the processes while preserving the artisanal characteristic, we are in the midst of the digital revolution, the means will be there.. whoever manages to fully exploit them will make the difference;
- exploit the uniqueness of the object also with the possibility of customization; characteristic normally difficult to implement by big brands;
- have different proposals to ensure that everyone can express their own style in contrast with the uniformity of the big brands.
Your professional background belongs to someone who moved with autonomy and independence. If you had one suggestion to give to young people entering the world of work, what would you suggest to them?
There would be a book to write, but I want to leave some ideas that I think are very important and that could be of help to the younger ones:
- It is true that we are in the era of successful twenty-somethings, but we must remember that nothing can be achieved without commitment, sacrifice and method ;
- Aim first at the passion for what you do, the economic result will come accordingly;
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Don't copy because you tend to never go as far as you could from a blank sheet of paper.
The process will be longer and more uncertain, but also more satisfying , solid and motivating.
- Identify what you think is done wrong and think about how you could do it better , more efficiently, at lower cost and with greater appeal for the final consumer.
Think of a new winning brand and then if it's a scalable business , create the conditions right from the start because it will be very difficult to do it later;
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Always keep your mind open and curious: be like sponges, absorb the information and read up on various areas because everything will be useful to you.
Suddenly you will understand where and how you can make a difference.
All the dots will connect and every experience will contribute .
If you don't know a sector and don't experience it at least in part, you will never be able to find its hidden opportunities;
- It's not so much what you do but how you do it.
- Learn the mindset and financial planning , they are fundamental skills;
- First get passionate about something and make it your fixed thought : it will be an indispensable sensation of adrenaline ;
- By 100% commitment and by being constant you will surpass even the most talented;
- Be persevering and flexible ;
- Surround yourself with successful people to learn from, people who are the same as you would like to become and people who have the same goals as you;
- Don't look for your dream job , do what you get the chance to do. Maybe you'll find that your dream job is someone else.
Everything you learn will serve you someday;
- Make a habit of doing your best whatever you decide to do.
It will take the same amount of time and you will be happier ;
- Learn to be perfectionist even in small things and get used to taking care of the detail ;
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Identify a path and take small steps in that direction: by getting 1% every day in just three months you will reach well over 100%.
Don't underestimate digital because whoever manages to ride this wave will emerge victorious .
- Be aware that you are lucky: you are living in a great era with great opportunities and in the midst of a revolution that will change the world in every sector: the digital revolution.