My first business was in 1984 when I was a fourth former at Westlake Boys High School. The Crown Lynn Crockery Company was closing so I bought up a full table setting for 140 people including dinner plates, soup bowls, cups and saucers – as you do when you’re a school boy! I hired them out for funerals, school events and the local theatre company. Made a bomb and it beat mowing lawns! I moved on from there to set up a carpet cleaning company to pay my way through university. To be honest, the business went better than the university so I bought the company that manufactured the machines and chemicals we used. From there, I developed the world’s first computerised carpet cleaning machine with more than 25 units pre-sold for export before it was even built.
Cleaning has been a thing for me. “Where there’s muck, there’s money” – my Mother used to say. I have established and sold numerous businesses in both service and light manufacturing. I have assisted even more to grow and reach their potential through refining sales process and getting the best from their people. My current gig is Seat Renew Global Limited, a company I dreamed up to restore stadium seats internationally. We now operate all over the world including the UK, USA, Australia and the UAE.
The fact of the matter is, I love commercialising ideas, be it a start-up business or making an existing one better. I am not into fluffy stuff, I like doing the doing. If your business or idea needs a new set of eyes or assistance to get the job done, let’s work together on it. I have a keen sense for people and also know how to drive the numbers end of the business. For active assistance without the poignant quotes from inspirational speakers, let’s meet for a coffee and see where it leads us.