Twenty Dollars and a Dream

By Brian Martin

When a seasoned entrepreneur and renowned international business leader writes his memoir, you can be sure that along with a fascinating life story, it’s full of valuable life lessons.

This book is a must-read for any aspiring business leader, and is a great reference when you strike your own inevitable moments of truth. Armed with this learning, you can literally put your life on a better, faster, and surer track to accomplishing your goals.

Having started his business career in a new country with only twenty dollars and a dream, Brian Martin forged his way to become an award-winning international businessman, and also a leadership trainer, author, and multi-millionaire.

Whether you’re looking to advance your career or leadership capability, or just keen to learn what it’s like to operate as an
international high-flyer, Brian’s huge experience and easy
conversational style will resonate with your own life journey.

You’ll soon see why in 2017 the Emperor of Japan awarded Brian the Order of the Rising Sun with Gold Rays, which has only ever been awarded to a handful of non-Japanese people.

You’ll also see how Brian’s love of people, learning, music, and leadership have been at the heart of his career and life journey, and in the process, you’ll gain new insights into living your own life to the fullest. These opportunities don’t come into your hands often, so seize the moment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian Martin
• Release date: Mar 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9780473562359

Book preview

Twenty Dollars and a Dream

Brian Martin

Copyright © 2021 Brian Martin

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-473-56235-9

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: Growing Up

Chapter 2: My Navy Career – HMS Worcester

Chapter 3: Merchant Navy – MV Rakaia

Chapter 4: The Decision is Implemented – Goodbye England

Chapter 5: Finding Your Path – Arrival in Auckland

Chapter 6: Les Mills

Chapter 7: Plummer and Company, Unique Creations, buying a house, meeting Desma, Mt Maunganui

Chapter 8: The Journey Home

Chapter 9: Mum Dying

Chapter 10: The road back to New Zealand

Chapter 11: Back to NZ Business and Life post Mother’s visit

Chapter 12: E L Riley

Chapter 13: Levi’s New Zealand

Chapter 14: Levi’s Japan Posting

Chapter 15: Triumph International

Chapter 16: Leaving Japan

Chapter 17: Brian’s 50th birthday

Chapter 18: What to do Next?

Chapter 19: IAS

Chapter 20: My Strong Relationship with Japan Continues

Chapter 21: Summary

About the author

Foreword

By Tom Tusher

Follow Brian Martin on his journey through a life well lived.

From a disciplined youth in his school days to his days as a cadet, he learned lessons that served him well throughout his life, from his early life in the U.K. to his move to New Zealand, a trip that led to his successful business career.

Brian proved to be a natural for the apparel industry. Starting as a salesman, he demonstrated the success in building relationships that would lead to establishing his own company in his early 20’s.

As a young man Brian developed the patterns and behaviors that served him well throughout his later years - a talent for making friends and forming close relationships, and an interest in diverse cultures.

His business and management skills made him an excellent candidate for leading the startup of Levi’s in New Zealand, and I employed Brian as General Manager of Levi Strauss New Zealand while he was still in his early 30’s.

Brian’s cultural diversity and interest in other cultures led to the next chapter in his life, a move to Hong Kong and Japan, and a role in global management within the large and growing Levi’s International network. This led to other successful international company moves.

His global management success led to the next transformation in his life and career. Using his leadership and communication skills, he was successful at training and honing the skills of many people within the organizations he managed. This would eventually lead him to forming IAS and providing a platform for training people in many growing organizations. This has proven to be the role to which Brian is uniquely qualified.

Brian will leave a strong legacy - of people development, successful business management and leadership, training and inspiration of young people, and his strong cultural connection to Japan.

I’m sure you will enjoy reading Brian’s odyssey.

Tom Tusher

Retired President of Levi Strauss & Co (1984-1997)

Owner, Blanket Bay Lodge, New Zealand (1998-present)

Acknowledgements

I am most grateful to the special people whose stories are sprinkled throughout the book, who have been important to me throughout my life. Each mention of them in the book is in effect my personal acknowledgement of their contribution to my life, for which I am truly grateful.

I also gratefully acknowledge the ideas, help, support, and encouragement that I have received from the many people who have helped make this book possible. I particularly want to thank and acknowledge the following people:

My Grandma Brand, the person I admired most in my life. Nanny I love you and will remember you always. I’ll see you soon.

My Mummy and my father Charles Martin. I am so proud to be your love child. Thank you both for giving me life.

My first wife Desma, the mother of my two boys, for being my lifelong friend.

My two sons Michael and Robert for their ongoing encouragement and their pride in my work.

My wife Keiko, for her huge inner beauty, exceptional wisdom, tremendous support, patience, and guidance in keeping me on track, and insight into Japanese behavior.

Frank Stead, who broke my collarbone playing rugby at HMS Worcester’s sports day, for being my longest-standing friend.

John Jellie, Managing Director of Plummer & Co, for the trust he had in me for more than a decade, that enabled me to launch my business career.

Tom Tusher, former President of Levi Strauss & Co., who hired me as Country Manager of Levi's New Zealand, for his mentoring and friendship, and his ability to get me to push the boundaries.

Gunther Speisshofer, President and owner of Triumph International, the world's largest women’s underwear makers, an entrepreneur, visionary and pioneer of international business, for the trust he gave me in running Triumph's business in Japan, and for inspiring me with his entrepreneurial ability to be creative and take risks.

Kaichiro Omiya, the Managing Director of Toyamenka Kaisha in Japan, for transforming me from boy to man in business.

Lily Fan and Corrine Fukino, my personal assistants in Hong Kong and Japan, for their top-notch organization of my business life.

Masami (Jack) Aoyama, my assistant at Triumph International in Japan, for taking such good care of me there.

Dr Ray Blanchard of Oregon, USA, a true transformational facilitator, the principal creator of the original learning programmes for IAS, and the person who has been the most profound influence in my life, for inspiring me and the many graduates of Genesis who have had the good fortune of experiencing his outstanding facilitation first-hand.

Chuck Spezzano, for being a great teacher and loving friend.

Robert White of Denver, USA, principal of Arc Associates, for bringing transformational learning to me through his Vision Quest program, and for his inspiring vision of 'One World, One People'.

Gillian Chater, founding team member of IAS, and co-creator and principal architect of the IAS programmes, for her commitment and dedication in bringing this learning to the business community.

Paul Diver, an outstanding facilitator, for his support over many years.

Peter Loeffen, for co-authoring my first book Who’s in Charge of Your Life, and for helping me finish and publish this book Twenty Dollars and a Dream.

Elizabeth Gollan, for patiently, lovingly, and expertly typing the original manuscript for this book as I dictated it to her.

Two of my lifelong friends Gary Lynch and Eric Cole, for being outstanding mates.

I also give my heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful musicians around the world who have brought so much joy into my life.

Finally, I also want to acknowledge the profound influence God has had in my life since early childhood.

Introduction

By Elizabeth Gollan

On the face of it, this is a biography of a young Englishman born two years before World War II, recounting his move to New Zealand in his teens with only $20 and a dream, and his life experiences as he grew to become a multi-millionaire. But it is much more than that:

• It is a raw history of a child’s view of wartime English society, and the highs and lows of life in the navy.

• It includes a potted history of a large segment of New Zealand’s apparel industry in the 1950’s-1970’s.

• It paints a portrait of a Japan just opening up to the world after centuries of self-imposed isolation.

• It highlights the challenges of being an expatriate in the Japanese business world in the 70’s and 80’s.

• Unlike most biographies, it includes lessons for the reader on leadership, vision, challenges, and the importance of personal drive, self-belief, trust, empathy for and encouraging others, and giving back.

• And for Brian’s wife, sons and their families, and his many business and personal friends across the world, it is a legacy of love and dedication, providing a much deeper understanding and greater appreciation of Brian as a person and the incredible life he has led.

All the best for life’s next chapter Brian!

Elizabeth Gollan

New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Japan (1987 – 1991)

Retired Committee Member, Japan New Zealand Business Council

Chapter 1

Growing Up

I was born in London in 1937, and within two years my family and I were in the midst of World War II. I grew up in a London County Council house, something like the houses seen in the long-running TV series ‘Coronation Street’.

There was not much to eat; everything was rationed with coupons given out by the government. I was a pretty skinny and wiry kid, not like my rotund figure of today.

We did not have hot water and we could only bathe once a week, with each bath requiring us to ‘boil the copper’. There was no fridge, no TV, no washing machine, no dryer, no phone, no car. We did have a gas stove, and although the house was very small, one thing we did have in abundance was LOVE. I loved animals, particularly dogs, and when I was two years old, from photos I was obviously spending time on the back of a pony.

Life – probably because of the war - started for me quite early. I loved flowers and I was always in awe of their beauty. I loved to go to an area near where I lived that was wrecked by bombs and gather flowers for my grandmother. I loved to watch the happiness on her face when she saw me coming into the house clutching those in my hand.

I remember when I was five years old, I was sitting in the back garden examining Nanny’s beautiful roses when God unexpectedly came into my life. How that happened I have no idea, as I didn’t know who God was. Religion was not discussed; we were too busy dodging Mr Hitler’s bombs. But I felt God’s presence that day, and he explained to me that he was everywhere, that flowers were nature, and flowers were everywhere like he was. My life since then has always had a spiritual element.

When I was seven years old, I found an old church that had not been bombed nestled in some trees. I went to look at the church doors, and found the doors open; I had never been in a place like this. Colored glass, an altar, and effigies of Jesus (whoever he was). I went occasionally to this church which was Presbyterian. I met some people who invited me to join Sunday School classes, which I enjoyed.

In 1944 before the war ended, the government decided to evacuate all the children out of London, which was being bombed every day, and I slept in an air-raid shelter with about 100 other people.

It was a huge relief not having to run between home and school. It was also comforting not having to see the FEAR on my mother and grandmother’s faces as they crawled under the stairs, when the air raid sirens went off. We stopped listening to Winston Churchill and his inspiring speeches – we will never give in – which impacted my later life.

As a child evacuee from the heavy bombing, I was sent to a boarding school in Felixstowe. Later in my life, I realized it was a stupid place to send the children, as it was on the coast of England, where the Germans could have landed and invaded England; this was a high possibility. Thankfully, America entered the war and England was no longer alone.

I hated my time at the Felixstowe boarding school, so much so that I cannot even remember the school’s name. We were located next to a British military armaments base, where bombs and hand grenades were stored.

Over this time, I often thought how I would like to climb the high wall, which had broken glass and barbed wire on top…. but it was a bit too big for a seven-year-old boy to climb. I certainly would have damaged myself and some of the other boys who I would no doubt have encouraged to join me!

The headmaster’s stepson who I became friends with and who was in the next bed to me, used to be savagely caned – 12-15 strokes – every time he misbehaved. I knew if I was caught out of bed, that I would get the same punishment. I couldn’t help but get out of bed to cuddle him and comfort him, every time he was hurting so badly from the thrashing his stepfather had given him. I cried a lot over that time, and my mother had to make the long journey from London several times to see me; I was just so homesick. I wanted my Mum, Nanny and Grandad.

We also knew that that the headmaster and his wife stole from the boys’ food parcels sent by their parents, which were always opened in the headmaster’s study. Parents could not and would not believe we only received about one third of the goods they sent us - things like biscuits, cake, and butter from our food ration. We later learned that the headmaster, a former church minister, was sent to prison for sexual misconduct, and interfering with some of the boys.

At the same time, what we boys did not know (thank goodness), was that about 30,000 children were being sent to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand; some without proper records of where they were sent. I was honestly blessed that my mother kept in touch wherever I was.

I only lasted six weeks at that nameless school and was then sent to my auntie – my grandad’s sister – to stay at the Lion and Lamb pub, on the Ipswich Road near Colchester.

Life at Auntie Aggie and Uncle Percy’s pub was great fun for a seven-year-old boy. I was not living in fear of verbal abuse, and having embarrassing and belittling remarks made about me, which was my daily experience at the Felixstowe boarding school. That certainly had not been an environment for building my confidence!

The pub was in the country, such a different environment from the city of London. I would walk and run in the fields of wheat and climb trees. I was lucky enough to be able to play darts and pool in the pub when it was closed. I also used to help my Uncle Percy move the big wooden barrels of beer. I learned to be useful, and to achieve satisfaction in helping others.

The local customers were colorful. Many of them were American and had young children of their own ‘back home’; they were very kind to me. American servicemen were different to the British people in the way they spoke and thought. The greatest peace was that I no longer had to run to the air raid shelter when the bombs were coming. Better days were ahead.

How I Became a Gourmet

One of the vivid memories I had was being taken to the US military base close by for Sunday lunch. They had chicken on the menu. Well! I had only had chicken on Christmas Day, so it was a wonderful treat. They served half-cooked peaches on the chicken, an experience I had never had. This certainly was a long way from plain English food.

For dessert I had a banana split - banana was almost unknown to me…. and ice-cream – WOW – what a treat. I am still trying to work out what the ‘split’ bit is!

In later life when I worked as a cook over the summer vacations, I thought about my peach and chicken experience, and I put ‘Hawaiian steak’ on the menu; a very thick slice of ham - the size of a steak - with a pineapple ring on top.

As I look back now, I can see the links between that boyhood experience and my adult life; I have a passion and a love of food.

I have been afforded in my lifetime the privilege of dining in some of the world’s finest restaurants up to 2 to 3 times a week. I was also director for several years of a group of 62 restaurants in Japan and Los Angeles and am still a minimal shareholder. The fact I love great food is reflected in my shape!

Life after the war got better very slowly. Little by little, more food came into the shops.

My love of show business, and how I almost became a movie star!

My mother like all women, had to work six days a week for the war effort in some service. She worked at the Roehampton Hospital on the (telephone) switchboard. Roehampton Hospital was a military hospital that provided care for wounded soldiers. It was initially based at Roehampton House specializing in the care of amputees, and soon became a world-renowned limb fitting and amputee rehabilitation center.

After the war, my mother became a buyer in the