Over the last 30 years, I’ve had a lot of fun starting and running businesses and I’ve made a lot of money in the process. Staysure, the insurance firm I founded, is now a multimillion-pound company with six million customers and over 500 employees. But I’ve also made mistakes, lost cash and had to start all over again.
About me
I’m a normal guy from Sheffield who dreamed of being a professional golfer as a kid. I got a job selling double-glazing door to door to fund my ambition, stayed in the sales business and became wealthy very quickly. By the time I was in my early 20s I was managing people nearly twice my age. I owned a portfolio of properties and a fleet of cars. As long as you’ve got the drive, I believe anyone can become an entrepreneur, regardless of where they are from or the start they had in life – providing they are willing to learn and work hard. So I want to give you some simple advice about how to succeed in business. I don’t do jargon and I hate management speak. And I always tell it like it is – not how you wish it was or how you’d like it to be. I know how to build and grow businesses and deal with the challenges every entrepreneur will face. I’ve done it all – selling burglar alarms, running a successful travel business, creating a loyalty card for young clubbers and building an award-winning financial services company.
How to Grow a Business
It’s not easy. It takes perseverance, application and drive. But there are rules to follow and mistakes to avoid. Over the next few months, I’ll set out everything you need to know to start your own company, grow your business, hire staff, negotiate with suppliers, deal with difficult customers and become successful. The rest is up to you.
