Donald Trump fired Nick Warnock on national TV last year, but he says the experience he gained by being on ‘The Apprentice’ helped him land a job with a London, Ont.-based solution provider.
Global Document Solutions Inc. (Gdox),
president Mark Welfred hired Warnock, who finished in fourth place on the popular reality TV show, as his new partner in charge of channel development.
The 28-year old Warnock will travel throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe to build awareness of the Gdox solution as well as build a dealer network for the company.
Welfred said he believes that Warnock has savvy and a proven business track record that will help his company and the resellers he attracts.
ITBusiness.ca recently interviewed Warnock about being hired by Gdox and being fired by The Donald.
ITBusiness.ca: How did you get involved with Gdox?
Nick Warnock: They had reached out to me from the show. They felt that my copier industry experience and my understanding of archiving software would complement each other nicely.
ITB: Was that your background?
NW: Oh yeah, for about four years. I know the applications for archiving software and I have sold it in conjunction with scanners for lawyers and accountants. I know how to talk it.
ITB: Is this your first job since the show ended?
NW: It is not a management job. I am getting behind the software. I know how to speak to the folks on it. I am self-employed. I am doing a bunch of stuff from TV to movies to an MSNBC show. But I do believe in the software. It works and it is probably the easiest to use than any other archiving software. And I have seen them all.
ITB: How many offers have you received?
NW: Quite a few.
ITB: What will be your title at Gdox?
NW: I am in charge of their dealer channel. But basically what I will do is I am showing up in a city and getting behind the software and explaining how it is used and the benefits. That is pretty much what is going on.
ITB: Why do you think the Gdox product line is so much better than its competitors?
NW: It is easier to use, No. 1. It comes with the hardware so you do not have to buy another server. It is a one-stop-shop. It has the hardware and it’s got the software. The software is based on the Windows platform. You can actually see a thumbnail of the document instead of seeing a bunch of names of documents. So you do not have to open everything up. It will support all formats.
ITB: Now I am sure the dealers would love to meet you, but the ones here in Canada are a pretty fickle bunch and they tell me what they really want to know is how any particular product will make money for them. Do you have an answer for that?
NW: How will they make money? Scanning and archiving is as common as the Internet right now. It is as common as a DSL line in an organization. It is something that you have to have. Faxes are being phased out and everything is going electronic. It is so much easier to e-mail a 150-page document from a copier or to the server or to the desktop than to fax or print. PDF is the way of the future as far as document submission in court cases. And, it is a real value-add when you are looking for an overall solution. It is not just copiers anymore. It is an overall office solution. If you can give that to a customer and increase their productivity just a little bit that will make you money. They will not leave.
ITB: Do you have a goal in mind for the number of dealers you want in place for when the year is up in Canada, the U.S. and Europe?
NW: I do not know the specifics of that. But we will have that discussion before the first show.
ITB: Where do you start the tour?
NW: Dallas.
ITB: Now a lot of people will be saying this is nothing more than a publicity stunt on the part of Gdox, how can you prove them wrong?
NW: I know what I am talking about. I have seen docushare and ecopy and I have seen every type of scanning software out there. I am confident when they see the software and the applications and the value-add it will be a no-brainer for them.
ITB: From your time on the show with Donald Trump, what do you take from the experience that you can pass on to Gdox and the dealer network you are trying to build?
NW: Confidence! Confidence baby. That is what it is all about. I really, really know the software and I am getting behind it. But, there are so many more opportunities from The Apprentice. I will be on American Dreams this season and on NCIS as well. A movie is coming out with me. I do a show with Amy (from The Apprentice) on MSNBC. There is so much stuff going on I am really lucky.
ITB: Are you becoming an actor?
NW: No. It is just appearances and personality stuff. But, I know this Gdox software is right and that is the message. And, I can talk the talk.
ITB: Who do you think will win this year’s version of The Apprentice?
NW: Raj.
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