Entrepreneur
It’s got to be Richard Branson. I have a lot of admiration for the brand he built and the way he leveraged the success of Virgin companies at every stage to build a bigger business. Since working with Penni Pike, his personal assistant of 32 years, I’ve had a valuable insight into the Virgin culture that helped us design The Beyond Card.
Book
Right now I’m reading Idea Man by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, which is a great lesson for entrepreneurs. Paul worked alongside Bill Gates for many years, with modest success, before Microsoft really grew and scaled into the company we see today. It can be all too easy to assume that you’ve failed if your business isn’t massive within a couple of years of launch.
Music/Band
I couldn’t live without music and my taste is pretty eclectic. My playlist of the hour includes Redlight, Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Ed Sheeran, The Isley Brothers and Pink Floyd.
Favourite film
I don’t think I could pick a favourite, but these are all top of the list: Wall Street, Life And Death Of Peter Sellers, Forrest Gump and The Talented Mr Ripley.
Favourite TV show
I like TV shows I can learn from, and recently I’ve loved the renaissance in business programmes. Dragons’ Den, Undercover Boss and The Hotel Inspectorare great.
Holiday destination
For inspiration nothing beats sipping Champagne overlooking the harbour at night in Hong Kong. For fantastic hospitality Dubai is great and for utter relaxation a little resort called Ti Kaye on St Lucia is my favourite.
A person you admire
My dad, for the strength and perseverance he has shown since we lost my mum almost two years ago.
Advice for a new start up
Don’t assume you have to borrow lots of money to get off the ground. There is much more to business than investors and funding rounds. If you have the right service, work hard and save money where you can it is possible to make a success without it costing a fortune. I see plenty of start-ups focused on where the next round of money is coming from, instead of their product or passion.
