admin While the leadership styles of powerful CEOs may differ, what they all have in common are grit, perseverance, foresight, and a passion for change. Exemplifying all these qualities is Mr. Bruce Dugan, CEO of the successful Deleware Corporation, INICIA Incorporated. As a legacy entrepreneur, constantly looking for the next big thing, Bruce was an early pioneer in remote working (beginning in 2003) long before it was trendy. and built operations in places he spent years living, currently managing operations on three different continents.
From Humble Beginnings
Bruce started his entrepreneurial journey back in 1982 with his first venture – Worldway Freight Systems. During his first 20 years in the logistics industry, Bruce created an indelible legacy of innovative ideas in long-haul direct point-to-point LTL same-day local delivery, and warehouse relocations, serving many Fortune 100 and 500 companies. This tenure in the logistics business gave him eclectic insights into strategic development and trend recognition.
I’m inspired every day by people that transcend their perceived abilities. My motivations have changed but remain simple: to work with honest and creative people to engage in interesting and impacting projects – Bruce Dugan
Bruce also served as an executive producer on two films, spearheaded a record label, and helmed the role of the CEO for a publicly traded company. This eventful journey finally led him to his passion for media and technology. INICIA Incorporated is the parent company, stakeholder, and management arm of several companies and brands, including inwwc.com, i2MEDIALAB.com, i2webservices.com, dinevite.me, eventigram.com, eventzpipeline.com, AFXlogisitcsgroup.com, AFXnetwork.com, Rideofyourlife.in, and various other publications. Some of the collective platforms offer a basket of end-to-end services ranging from branding to marketing and web development, and online automated tools and platforms.
A Journey with Many Turns
Bruce’s journey is quite an interesting one – a journey that’s characterized by several unexpected twists and turns. Tasting success quite early in his career, Bruce was driven by unbridled ambition and ego. While these qualities fuelled his drive for success and path-breaking innovation, they were also responsible for the financial crashes he had to also endure and rebuild from.
Back in 2003, a few years after his company crashed, Bruce went on a 10-day vacation to Buenos Aires, Argentina. That short stay lasted for 7 years. As an innovative entrepreneur, Bruce had a publishing idea during this time and consequently hired software developer, Mario Delfino to work on it. As fate would have it, a year later they became partners on the venture and formed INICIA Incorporated the next year.
While lightning doesn’t usually strike twice, it did for Bruce. In 2012 while serving as an interim CEO for another public company. Bruce traveled to Bangalore, India, to put together a team for a project. His short 90-day trip turned into a 6-year-long stay, during which he then met some locals, established Incognito Worldwide, and built and trained a team there.
Serving customers with honesty and integrity, combined with quality and value is the secret to long-standing relationships – Bruce Dugan
Like most entrepreneurs, Bruce has strengths and weaknesses, but among the firmer is a never say die attitude and adaptability. So he used his setbacks as an opportunity to realign his focus to once again start anew and fuel growth. He noted that “Sure, my journey, especially the losses, were important and whether by accident or fate led me to where I currently am, and I’m happy with that outcome.”
Fueling the Innovative Drive
Powerful CEOs draw inspiration from the simplest of things and Bruce is no different. Bruce said that “I’m motivated when seeing people transcend their perceived abilities, and I try to push myself toward that end, as well as my staff.” Bruce believes in the Gospel of stepping outside the norm, working on projects that challenge one’s comfort zone, and pushing the boundaries we set for ourselves. “My motivations have changed but remain simple: to work with honest and creative people and to engage in interesting and impactful projects”.
What Makes a CEO Stand Out
Bruce noted that the most impactful quotes that have gilded his journey came from Richard Branson who said (when asked how he became so successful) “simple, I surround myself with people who are smarter than me’. We asked Bruce what traits he thought were important to being a successful CEO, and he said “I think vision and adaptability are formidable cornerstones in one’s journey. Drawing from his experience as a serial entrepreneur and founder of many successful ventures, Bruce also listed these traits of perseverance, foresight, and long-range trend recognition as key attributes as well.
Championing Barriers
No leader’s path is a bed of roses. As such, Bruce’s journey to success also had its fair share of ups and downs. Back in the day, when Bruce launched his first venture, a lack of knowledge-transference, as well as onboarding protocols, created a bottleneck to growth. At the same time, he also encountered cash flow issues and institutional problems — such as predatory stock promoters. However, over the years, Bruce has learned to transform every setback into a lesson. He has honed unmatched perseverance over the years, adapted to difficult situations, and found ways of emerging like a phoenix from every setback.
Achievements and What Lies Ahead
As a constant innovator, and in response to the aforementioned knowledge transfer and onboarding roadblocks to growth, Bruce conceived the multi-layer concepts for the operating system (initially known as Transcom, then renamed in the 1990s to American Freight X-Change, using the acronym AFX Network.com). This new and unique approach to over-the-road delivery management was well ahead of its time, long before the Internet emerged into the public domain. His digital agency company Incognito Worldwide has received many awards and recognitions, including, 2014 Startup of the Month, Top 5 Emerging Marketing Companies, Top 20 Consulting Companies, Best Web Designer in Argentina, Top 10 eComm Companies, Top 25 CEOs in India, Its subsidiary I2MEDIALAB developed Dinevite.me which is a platform that bridges the gap between the customer and restaurants. This platform shall be in beta testing in 2023 and is touted to usher in a paradigmatic change in the B2C marketplace.
Bruce says he is pleased with the services his companies are delivering to clients, especially because it is done with a combination of value and quality with honesty and integrity, saying that Money is not our goal. That is just the result of a job web done!”
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