In the high-stakes world of industrial electrical work, precision and attention to detail aren’t just professional assets—they’re matters of life and death. For Marcus Cola, CEO and co-owner of Apex Electrical Group, his military background prepared him for the technical demands of electrical contracting, but it was the Port of Seattle’s Business Accelerator program that taught him an equally vital lesson: recognizing his worth and charging with confidence.
Photo of Marcus Cola via apexelectricgroup.com
From Military Discipline to Electrical Excellence
In just two years, Cola has grown Apex Electrical Group into a 12-person team specializing in industrial and heavy commercial electrical projects. His path into electrical work wasn’t sparked by a love for gadgets, but by a draw to the high-stakes environment that requires constant vigilance. “It is the danger in electrical that I gravitated towards to help me be more proficient at my job,” Cola explains. “I come from the military. I had to do a job that was gonna kill me if I wasn’t on my toes every single day, just like in the military.”
This military-honed mindset of precision and risk management translates perfectly to industrial electrical work, where a single mistake can have catastrophic consequences. For Cola, the electrical field offered an opportunity to apply the same level of discipline and attention to detail that served him well in military service.
The Psychology of Pricing: A Game-Changing Lesson
One of the most transformative aspects of the Business Accelerator for Cola was learning about the psychology of selling and pricing. A session on sales psychology particularly resonated with him, fundamentally changing how he approaches client relationships and business negotiations.
“The psychology of selling and being able to listen to what your client is saying, listening to what their pain points are, but also being able to respond in a manner that has both parties at interest,” Cola reflects. The session taught him to maintain pricing integrity rather than adjusting prices based on assumptions about what customers want to hear.
Most importantly, he learned the critical concept of “holding true to yourself with knowing what your value is and being able to charge accordingly.” For a new business owner navigating a competitive field, this lesson in pricing and self-worth proved invaluable.
Networking That Matters: Learning from Peers
Beyond the structured lessons, the Business Accelerator gave Cola something just as impactful: a network of experienced peers navigating similar challenges. The opportunity to “rub shoulders with other CEOs and owners” gave him insights that can’t be found in textbooks or training manuals.
“Being able to hear some of the stories and the trials and errors that they’ve inhibited in their company,” Cola notes, provided him with real-world context for the challenges he was experiencing. Sharing his own early-stage experiences and receiving candid feedback from seasoned entrepreneurs gave him valuable perspective on his growth path. This peer learning wasn’t always comfortable—as Cola honestly acknowledges, “it definitely doesn’t feel good all the time”—but it was essential. Hearing the “truths of the matter” about business challenges, from funding difficulties to the realities of project management, helped prepare him for the inevitable obstacles ahead.