Marco Rosario Accolla is a public figure, a serial entrepreneur

Many people recognise Marco Rosario Accolla as a sharp businessman with an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit. He’s created successful clubs, boutique shops, and built a property portfolio worth millions.

But that’s not what makes Marco Accolla tick. It’s philanthropy, charity, and giving back to the community that instils his innermost emotions. According to Marco, when you give back to the community, do good for others, and engage in charitable projects, the person receiving your kindness isn’t the only one benefiting.

As the founder of Community Watch and vice chair of CPF, Marco Accolla has had first-hand experience working with the police and the community. In that time, Marco has learned a lot of lessons on why giving back is amazing.

5 Reasons Why Giving Back is Crucial According to Marco Accolla

#1. Gain Invaluable Skills

You don’t have to be uber rich to give back to the community. You can lend a hand in a community project, volunteer your time, and so forth. Volunteering, in turn, can help you hone essential skills, acquire knowledge, and gain expertise that can help you take your career to the next level. For Marco Accolla, giving back has helped him become a better and caring businessman.

#2. Engaging in Philanthropy will Help you Feel Good

“There’s something of beauty about giving back and helping others that makes you feel so good,” says Marco Rosario Accolla, pointing to photos he took with recipients of his food hamper.

And, Marco is right. Recent studies have revealed that when someone donates to charity or engages in the act of kindness, the mesolimbic system — the part of your brain responsible for “feeling good” becomes excited. In fact, the brain goes ahead and releases feel-good hormones that encourage you to make more contribution to society.

#3. Boost Your Self-Esteem

One of the best benefits of giving back comes in the form of a self-esteem booster. As you become more socially connected, so does your self-confidence.

#4. Get New Perspective

It’s no big secret that life sometimes can be harsh. People can smear your name in the dirt for no reason, just like what slanderers did to Marco Accolla’s name. When you’re feeling low, volunteering or engaging in community welfare can help you put things into perspective.

#5. Gain a Sense of Belonging and Achieve Inner Peace

Helping the needy helps you keep isolation and loneliness at bay as well as create a feeling of community. Besides, you’ll achieve inner peace and enjoy good health and overall well-being. That’s the beauty of giving back, according to Marco Accolla.

About Marco Accolla

Marco Rosario Accolla is a public figure, a serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist based in Durban South Africa. His charity of choice is geared toward community policing and helping the poor.

Marco Accolla cannot emphasize the need for networking enough

People of Marco Accolla’s calibre are hard to come by. He’s been called the “don of Durban” – and with a good reason. Marco Accolla is a self-motivated individual with a zeal for leadership and proven ability to prioritize and plan. Thanks to his entrepreneurial acuity, he has managed to start several successful businesses, spanning entertainment to real estate and every sector in-between.

So, what’s his secret to success?

In this blog article, we are going to walk you through 4 pieces of advice from Marco Accolla when it comes to starting and business.

#1. Get Experience before You Start the Business

If we can borrow a leaf from the book of Albert Einstein: experience is the only source of knowledge. And, knowledge is king when it comes to the business start-up!

“The thing is you cannot lead if you don’t have enough experience. So, save your investors, team, and yourself a whole lot of pain by getting hands-on experience first,” advised Marco Accolla.

In the business world, when all goes wrong (and it happens!), it is only those individuals who have ‘been there, done that’ who will be able to withstand the heat. If you have sufficient experience in the field, you will have no problem staying calm and leading the way for others. That’s how Marco managed to focus on his property portfolio after Ooh La La Boutique was sold off.

#2. Network, Network, Network

Marco Accolla cannot emphasize the need for networking enough when it comes to starting a business. Prior to forming your business, it is best to attend business seminars, conference, and perhaps join mentorship programmes. And that isn’t all; you may also want to reach out to entrepreneurs and people with a track record of experience in the industry or niche. These could be people you know, and some you have not met before.

#3. Stay On Top of Compliance, Law, and Regulations from Day 1

Before you start a business, it is wise to understand what licenses, regulations, and taxes you will have to obtain, follow or pay for your new venture. Once you’ve done your own research, you might want to reach out to a CPA and business attorney to get to the bottom of compliance issues. The last thing you want is for a trivial tax or regulatory detail to derail your business in its formative months.

#4. A website is a Must-Have

In the digital era, online presence has become indispensable. That’s why you must have a well-designed, easy-to-navigate, and industry-focused website.

About Marco Accolla

Marco Rosario Accolla is a public figure, a serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist based in Durban South Africa.

We’d a chance to sit down and pick Marco Accolla’s brains on the direction

Just over two decades ago, South Africa came out of the dark age of apartheid. I don’t mean to ruffle some feathers but this was an era marked by unthinkable police brutality, not to mention racial prejudice. Thankfully, South Africans managed to put their differences aside and forged a brighter future where everyone can thrive despite their skin colour.

When all’s said and done, a few speckles of the bygone era still linger. It is not uncommon for the police to be seen as a stranger whose presence is associated with danger. That’s why community policing was put in place to bring harmony, and build a sense of belonging.

With robust community policing in today’s South Africa, the police and other members of society are partners. In other words, you, I, the police, and the community at large are co-producers of peace, quality police service, and justice.

That’s what Marco Accolla, the co-founder of Community Watch and vice chair of Community Police Forum (CPF) fights for every day. Marco is one of a handful of Durban businessmen who are at the forefront of championing for strong and actionable community policing.

We’d a chance to sit down and pick Marco Accolla’s brains on the direction and role of community policing in today’s South Africa. Here’s a snapshot of our interesting conversation with Marco Rosario Accolla.

Q: Tell us a little about Community Watch

Marco Accolla: Community Watch is a premier non-governmental organisation created for the sole purpose of bringing citizens and the police together to tackle crime. We aspire to transform how people perceive the police. It’s our mission and vision to make community policing the pillar of community partnership in creating a secure and harmonious environment for all. While we are currently based in Durban, we are looking to expand to various other cities across the country.

Q: What Inspired You to Launch Community Watch?

Marco Accolla: Community policing has always been something that revives my innermost and basest feelings. Since my childhood in Durban, I have seen it all when it comes to crime and community welfare. As a self-motivated person, when I see something is amiss, I don’t just sit back and watch – I do something about it. That’s why I co-founded Community Watch.

For me, championing for the success of community policing is a passion. More importantly, this gives me the opportunity to give back to the community. I am a businessman and a philanthropist, and I owe it to the community to do good and spread joy. What you probably don’t know is that I was brought up in a loving, warm, and welcoming family. That’s how I know love, peace, and serenity can go a long way to improve someone’s health and wellbeing. Is that too much to ask for our vibrant community?

Q: Do You Think Community Policing is Working?

Marco Accolla: That’s a resounding yes. We have recently seen a spike in partnerships between the public and the police. Crime in and of itself has gone down, people now feel safe in the presence of police. On the other hand, our police officers feel that they have earned trust and love in the community. That’s exactly what we want an amicable relationship between the general public and the police service.

Q: What Do You Think Should Be Done To Boost Community Policing?

Marco Accolla: While there’s no magic bullet to making crime go away in our cities, community policing is still a secret ingredient to safer and more secure neighbourhoods. I believe there’s should be an ongoing conversation on community policing. Politicians should talk about it. You should talk about it. Educators should talk about it. Of course, religious leaders shouldn’t be left out.

There should be transparency on the side of the police too. They should be given proper training and sensitization on how to co-mingle with the public. The bottom line is that we should have an honest, open dialogue on issues affecting our communities.

Q: What’s The Future of Community Policing in SA?

Marco Accolla: Of course, there’s a lot that needs to be done, but we are proud of what our men and women in uniform are doing. I see community policing taking an active role in crime prevention, social awareness, and much more in the future. We at Community Watch will go above and beyond to make it feasible.

About Marco Accolla

Marco Rosario Accolla is a South African-born Italian who is well known for being a multi-successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community policing champion, all rolled into one. When he is not taking care of his multi-property real estate portfolio, he hosts social gatherings, braais, and charity drives for the police and the general public. Marco is the founder and the current treasurer of Community Watch. Moreover, he’s the vice chairman of Community Police Forum.

Helping Others is Secret to Happiness: Marco Accolla Talks 5 Reason

Helping Others is Secret to Happiness: Marco Accolla Talks 5 Reason: Marco Rosario Accolla is a public figure, a serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist based in Durban South Africa. His charity of choice is geared toward community policing and helping the poor.

Entrepreneurial Lessons from Marco Accolla: What’s the Secret to Starting a Business?

Entrepreneurial Lessons from Marco Accolla: What’s the Secret to Starting a Business?: People of Marco Accolla’s calibre are hard to come by. He’s been called the “don of Durban” – and with a good reason. Marco Accolla is a self-motivated individual with a zeal for leadership

A Chat with Marco Accolla: The Role of Community Policing in South Africa

A Chat with Marco Accolla: The Role of Community Policing in South Africa: A Chat with Marco Accolla: The Role of Community Policing in South Africa Today

Be the type of leader that you want to see – Marco Accolla

Marco Accolla is a self-motivated individual with a zeal for leadership and proven ability to prioritize and plan. Marco Accolla is the don of Durban, in every sense of the word. In his years of running numerous businesses successfully, he has managed to realize the level of success that many businesses men can only aspire to.

Marco Accolla is a visionary that has redefined what it means to lead in today’s contemporary world. It is through his examples that we can all be inspired. For anyone that wants to borrow from Marco Accola’s success tips and learn from his vast experience, here are some tips for leadership from Marco Accolla:

Be the type of leader that you want to see – Marco Accolla

Great and influential leaders change the world. Rather than wait for someone else to solve the world’s problems, why don’t you step up and be the leader that you want to see? Like Gandhi encouraged his followers all those years ago, you should be the change that you want to see in the world and when you do it, others will automatically start to follow.

Be humble

It might sound cliché or something that you might have heard a thousand times before, but it pays to be humble, in more ways than one. Humility transforms you from a boss to a leader; a leader is someone that is not afraid to share the limelight with anyone that helped him or her to get to the top. Bosses, on the other hand, are quite the opposite.

Good leaders are also comfortable with crediting those who deserve it. However, it requires grace and humility to be able to do it. When you are humble, not only will your staff members and clients appreciate it, but your peers and competitors will respect you for it, as well.

Learn how to communicate

Effective communication is an imperative skill for every leader to possess, and it is required both in business and in your personal life. Great leaders make sure that they are understood and heard every time that they stand up to say something. However, effective leaders also know that effective communication also requires one to be a great listener since communication has to be a two-way street.

Invest in women

Gender parity is a critical part of being an effective leader today. If you do not include women in your business, you will be missing out on their enormous capabilities and contributions. As a leader, it is your duty to make sure that all genders are represented throughout your organization. Not only will you have set a standard that others will follow, but it will also allow your business and brand to stand out in all the right ways.