Xavi Gabriel

The Golden Witch

Leading Lottery in Europe

 

 

The Golden Witch is a recognized brand of Lottery, related to Good Luck founded by Xavi Gabriel in 1986.

Year after year, The Golden Witch has distributed numerous prizes and instilled hope, amounting to over €3.207 billion across Spain and internationally.

 

The Golden Witch has served as a case study for numerous universities and business schools such as ESADE, IESE, Harvard, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, UOC, and Universidad de Valencia.

Xavi Gabriel has received 50 awards, including the 2011 National Marketing Award in Spain. Google awarded The Golden Witch with a check for being the best Marketing company in Spain.

The Golden Witch´s success is due to the continuous innovative ideas of self-made entrepreneur Xavi Gabriel, whose exceptional Storytelling-based Marketing techniques differentiate his brand from competitors.


The key to our success lies in two factors: first, the hopeful story behind The Golden Witch; and secondly, our focus on providing added value to our products and services, including merchandising.

 

There is no hurry, only illusion

The Golden Witch specialty is to share illusion

Quote by Xavi Gabriel

 

The Golden Witch has played a vital role in solidifying the presence of Sort (meaning Luck in the catalan language) in the Pyrenees, with people from all over Spain now aware of the town´s location. Since the mid-1990s, hundreds of thousands of individuals have come to discover the birthplace of The Golden Witch. With the significant influence that tourism exerts on the region, the continuous and uninterrupted awarding of remarkable prizes has associated the Famous Lottery Retailer, The Golden Witch, with Good Luck, magic, hope, and illusion.

 

 

The Lottery that hands out the highest number of prizes

 

 

Regardless of geography, The Golden Witch is known for its innovative spirit, for becoming the pioneer in selling lottery tickets online in the mid-1990s, when there were barely 500 websites in Spain. Currently, 87% of its operations are conducted online.

 

Difficulty accelerates creativity stimuli

 

When faced with homogeneity, we must innovate, think outside the box, differentiate ourselves, and achieve goals that are unattainable for the masses. Overcoming difficulties allows us to stand out and make a difference. How can we foster innovation? By thinking, creating, and using our resources to our advantage, especially in trying circumstances where inaction seems like the best course of action.

The Big Book of Inspiration by Xavi Gabriel

 

 

An entrepreneur is born:

An outrageous idea emerges


After conducting several business ventures - some more successful than others - I decided to pursue an outlandish idea: opening a lottery retailer in the small town of Sort. Arguments are not lacking: it is not the most advantageous place to start this enterprise, as the number of residents does not guarantee the necessary sales to keep the Lottery Office open. Additionally, two centuries of history make this business seem unsuitable for entrepreneurs and visionaries, at least in the eyes of the majority who believe that after so many years, nothing new can be created. Nevertheless, my enthusiasm remains unfaltering.

It is a challenging phase where I must make decisions and unlearn previous mistakes. Essentially, I am charting a path in a sector not traditionally receptive to innovative ideas.

I encounter competition and receive my first recognition, but discovering the fruits of my labor proves most rewarding.

 

Xavi Gabriel, representative of The Golden Witch on Earth

 

Founder of The Golden Witch

 

The concept of establishing a lottery retailer in a mountainous village with a population of no more than 1,500 people initially appeared to be more of a ludicrous plan than a significant endeavor. However, with thousands of sales outlets scattered throughout the nation, many individuals were skeptical that the agency would generate sufficient sales in such a remote location to turn a profit. This is how I was reminded every day by those who were convinced that it was impossible to sell enough in such a small place, not to stand out, but to make the business profitable. What was my strategy? Ignoring all negative criticism and focusing on what truly mattered: giving the customers what they want. I devoted myself to selling fantasies. Thanks to this, today there are two lottery outlets in Spain: the national lottery, known for thousands of lottery offices, and The Golden Witch, known for its unique brand.

 

Entrepreneurship is also about delivering what the public demands

 

The Golden Witch sells lottery to China

 

The public has needs that may not always be demanded. It is the entrepreneur´s mission to uncover and fulfill those requirements. While novelty and creativity can be useful, they are not always what the consumer wants. Innovation should not arise solely from personal desire, but from recognizing and addressing what the public requires to enhance, supplement, or support their endeavors. You must understand their true expectations to excite the public who ultimately are the customers.

 

 

On August 10th, 1986, I decided to start the Sort lottery office and quickly realized it would not be an easy endeavor. Buyers were driven by customs and preferences, influenced by commitments made with thousands of points of sale scattered throughout the Peninsula. If I aimed to establish myself in the lottery industry, I had only one choice: to win over the customers. Therefore, I had no alternative but to embark on a challenging journey that lasted for years, during which I visited the neighboring regions of Vall d´Aran, Alta Ribagorça, Pallars Jussà, Alt Urgell, Cerdanya, and Noguera, seeking customers from one village or bar after another. After traveling a hundred thousand kilometers, I succeeded in my goal: to have the client seek me out.

 

Flake by flake, the highest mountain will be covered with snow, and step by step, the end of the longest road will be reached

 

Any detail is like a small drop of grease: insignificant in appearance, but very powerful if you have enough and use it to grease a large piece of iron in a gear.

Every job, no matter how hard, risky or even criticized, has to be tackled. If you are able to overcome all obstacles and have enough patience to accumulate flake after flake, you can move whatever you set your mind to or, at worst, shorten the path to your goal.

 

 

In the early years at our Lottery Office, we had to travel many miles and invest many hours and perseverance in our work. It was hard because at first it did not seem to have any effect. We had to increase the number of customers in any way we could: we could not limit ourselves to the 1,500 inhabitants of Sort, because we would not even cover what the Spanish State Lotteries and Bets (LAE) required as a minimum to keep the license. So I took my car and a good dose of ingenuity and set out to visit the neighboring municipalities and other areas of the peninsula. When I arrived, I offered them not just any number, but those corresponding to the postal codes of Sort, Barcelona and nearby geographical areas. And to those who asked me why they should buy from me, I encouraged them by saying: ´You will play because you have never played´. With the arrival of winter, the route became more complicated. Not to mention the weekly route changes we had to make for security reasons: we could not risk being robbed. In time, however, sales began to pick up.

 

Success is almost always the sum of failures


Like a skier, until you accumulate a few falls, you will not learn the technique, nor will you reach your goals. And when you perform one good operation after another, you must avoid at all costs thinking that you are the best, because only he is the best who does not see how good he is. If you are able to accept failure as an ally and erase the word ´impossible´ from the dictionary and Google, you are on the road to success.

 

Xavi Gabriel unique Storytelling Marketing at The Golden Witch

 

On April 23rd, 1990, I received my very first prize in marketing for direct tourism activities - the Marketing Winners award - from the Generalitat of Catalonia. Exactly one week prior to attending the award ceremony, I met a student who was researching our case for his dissertation on The Golden Witch. This encounter prompted me to inquire about the definition of Marketing as he seemed uncertain of its meaning. For years, I have applied this concept successfully in the business world. However, I found the theories behind it to be complex and remote. Despite the student's efforts, I still do not comprehend the technical explanation provided.

 

Marketing is defined as making the challenging seem effortless


Theories, on the other hand, tend to complicate matters unnecessarily. While the application of Marketing may generate revenue, it does not necessarily consider the company´s infrastructure, accounting, human resources, or labor resources.

Marketing, in essence, simplifies the process of revenue generation and does not involve the complexity of running a business. Marketing simplifies complex ideas into easily digestible concepts. For example, a potential campaign may suggest selling ice cream shaped like a ball on a soccer field in the heat of summer. This approach makes it more accessible to consumers, increasing the likelihood of attracting buyers.

 

 

Months before my entry into the lottery business, I was faced with an important decision. I had to choose between opening an office dependent on the national lottery agency or opting for the regional one. The latter offered me better conditions in terms of commissions, but when I analyzed the two alternatives in detail, it was clear that the national one offered me more opportunities to sell millionaire Primitivas (lotto game), since it included a territory with fifty-four provinces, as opposed to the four that make up the regional one. So I chose the former. At the beginning I did not earn much, but with time, when important prices started to arrive, the business became big. And although the commission was still small, it multiplied.

 

Choose the best, even if they look the same


In appearance, there is equality in all things, but only in appearance. And however insignificant the difference may be, it can become very noticeable over time. In a company, it can mark the border between a business that does not work and one that consolidates with positive results, without the need to invest more than necessary, simply by making good, selective choices. There are too many times when it is possible to fall into the serious mistake of choosing the best offer, the best salary or the best commission. The truth is that the best offer is almost never the one that gives the best results, precisely because it is exaggerated. You will only become great if you accept and appreciate the small. On the other hand, if you pay too much attention to the big, you will end up being the smallest of the big.

Book ´Nothing is impossible´ by Xavi Gabriel

 

 

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