Raise the Bar, Change the Game

Raise the Bar, Change the Game is the beautifully written autobiography of an entrepreneur. Rarely do you have a biography where personal humanity is intricately interwoven with the business successes and failures that occur when someone takes a road never before traveled; in this case, through the newly-fallen Soviet Union.

The rapid collapse of the Soviet Union hit all of Eastern Europe like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs. Brian quotes Darwin, "It is not the not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to change." No one in Eastern Europe had a Plan B for a capitalist economy after the fall of Communism and the end of Russian domination.

Brian was tenacious. He saw that success lay in constant adaption and in coping with the old Communist mentality, while helping create a new business environment. Business became a series of transient opportunities. It was about market creation, not market fulfillment--not an easy task because business conditions were different in every city-state in Eastern Europe.

This is a great book for someone who wants to be a pathfinder, a disruptor, or a change agent--not just another suit in an established firm. This book is about marketing high tech and market creation. It shares the accumulated wisdom of a true pioneer with the ease of a campfire story.

“Brian Marcel combines fascinating, personal stories of both tragedies to triumphs with the key business and life lessons that guided him through his successful career. Brian takes us on the interesting journey of the barcode—one of the most revolutionary inventions of the twentieth century that is the foundation of today’s “now” economy—tracking its progress along with his own. You don’t have to be a techie to enjoy this book, just someone looking for solid strategies and useful tips to achieve your career ambition.”

—Anders Gustafsson, CEO, Zebra Technologies

“Brian Marcel has written a must-read primer for budding entrepreneurs who want to change the world, just as he has done. His experience building a business in the barcode industry can help readers seize opportunities and avoid pitfalls.”

--Dr. Tom Hill, author of Blessed Beyond Measure

"In his book, Raise the Bar, Change the Game, Brian Marcel reminds us how the humble barcode has changed the world and made possible so much of the business that we now take for granted. He has turned an everyday subject into an important read for all budding entrepreneurs."

—Zac Goldsmith, member of Parliament for Richmond Park and North Kingston, London, United Kingdom 

About the Author:

Brian Marcel started his career in the London Stock Exchange, butworking in an institution didn't suit him, and he got fired from hisgrandfather's firm. From there, he moved on to sell all types of papersmade by Wiggins Teape, a leading British paper manufacturer that senthim to South Africa to enhance his career and learn the art of sales and marketing. It was in Cape Town that he met his wife, Liz, who sadlydied of breast cancer after twenty-eight years marriage. After returning to the United Kingdom, he got involved in the early days of barcodingand soon started his own business selling artwork used for printingbarcodes on products. The business expanded, and after the fall of theBerlin Wall in 1989, he set up joint ventures in five of the formerEastern Bloc countries. They are still great success stories in theirown right. Brian was recently married to his new wife, Lisa. He has adaughter, Jessica, that he adopted from Romania. They all live inLondon. This is his first book.