What do you currently do?
I am the Managing Director of Convini Food Solutions, a brand new and fully accessible self-service convenience store concept for the workplace. The Convini Store serves high-quality products direct to people whilst they are at work.
My day-to-day role consists of leading a team of eight in the daily running and continued expansion of the Convini business. I have worked for the organisation since 2001, starting out as an intern working my way up to Managing Director. In 2013, when Convini expanded into the UK, I was heavily involved in this process and for establishing Convini as a business, into these new markets.
What is your inspiration in business?
My main motivation in business is being able to create and maintain a culture of health and wellbeing in the modern world of work. Although this is a very challenging task for any business, I believe that having healthier employees is the key to improving workplace efficiencies and better business practice.
Who do you admire?
I admire any person who manages to combine an ambitious and enterprising personality with an underlying sense of fairness and benevolence. To be frank, people with a well-balanced proportion of these specific qualities are often few and far between. It doesn’t matter however, if it is your next-door neighbour, your elected MP or your local shopkeeper, it’s the people exhibiting these traits that I want to support and surround myself with.
People with such traits are also the type of people that I want to work and do business with each and everyday. One of my main on-going challenges as MD is to find and recruit new employees to the join the Convini team. I’m always on the lookout for candidates displaying these four qualities.
Looking back would you have done things differently?
Yes. There is no doubt about it! There have been quite a few embarrassing setbacks and pitfalls over the years that I would have loved to have been able to ‘undo’. However, these hiccups are also part and parcel of a wider learning curve that I think has helped strengthen my career for the long-term.
What defines your way of doing business?
We focus on what our clients want and work tirelessly to perform consistently well over time, as an extension of our customers’ businesses. We also always work to ensure that every experience our customers have is personal and hassle-free. Let’s face it; we know how busy and stressful things can be, so the less forms you have to fill out the better.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
I would advise any enterprising soul to first think long and hard about taking the giant leap of setting up one’s own business. Assess the risks that may arise, before you try and look forward to the distant rewards. Your venture will initially cost a lot of time and money; it will potentially come in the way of loved ones and definitely turn your hair grey. If you’re still not put off then you sound like you’re up for the job. Go for it!!
