As CEO of online ticket brokerage TicketCity, Randy Cohen refers to his title unconventionally: “Chief Energizing Officer,” he says. “It says that on my business cards.”
Now Cohen can refer to himself as published author, too. Ticket to the Limit: How Passion and Performance Can Transform Your Life and Your Business into an Amazing Adventure (Emerald Books) is Cohen’s recently released book that details both the beginnings of his now multi-million dollar business and the personal philosophy that propelled him to success.
“People have opportunities to start their own entrepreneurial gig and make it happen,” Cohen told TicketNews. “This books shows people you can do it if you put passion behind it.”
Cohen’s own success began with a simple idea: in 1987 he used his $1,200 in savings to buy 200 $6 tickets to an Arkansas vs. Texas basketball game. The game sold out, and Cohen was able to sell the tickets at a profit. Cohen expanded his idea in 1990 by launching TicketCity, and now the company serves over 100,000 clients in 70 countries, selling tickets to top events like the Super Bowl.
Cohen attributes his success to his life and business philosophy, which he says is to find your passion, follow it through, and live big. He describes “Ticket to the Limit” as a motivational book that offers behind-the-scenes looks at events that have shaped the ticket industry in the last twenty years, as well as intimate profiles of successful businesspeople who helped grow the TicketCity brand.
Cohen acknowledges that, in the face of the possible Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger, the ticket industry is in a state of uncertainty. “Times are definitely changing,” he said, “but there’s always good in things that don’t seem good. People have been trying to put us out of business for years. Brokers are so entrepreneurial and so resilient and they work so hard and are so passionate—they find a way to continue to succeed.”
Broker or not, Cohen’s book has entrepreneurial advice for everyone: “If you’re passionate and love what you do, do it well and keep on doing it. If you’re miserable, get the hell out. Go find something that you love.”
